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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, January 11, 2017
Afghanistan approaches ICC regarding Full Member status THE Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) is understood to have expressed a keenness to the ICC to apply for Full Member status, though is yet to formally apply, ESPNcricinfo has learned. The application is likely to be made in February and considered at the ICC meeting then, with Afghanistan currently preparing a comprehensive report to satisfy the ICC’s requirements. According to the ICC’s criteria, a team applying for admission as a Full Member must have a full-fledged cricketing and administrative infrastructure in the country. The ICC’s guideline criteria for Full Membership states: “A country must play regular first-class cricket (domestic 3-4 day competition) before playing Test cricket. Number of teams and players - sufficiently large pool of players to draw from capable of performing at the highest level of the game.” Afghanistan gained Affil-
iate membership in 2001 and were granted Associate status in 2013. In 2009, the team was given ODI status and, over the last few years, the ACB has undergone extensive organisational restructuring to provide better leadership and find qualified staff to run cricket administration in the war-torn country. The ACB is also upgrading its cricket infrastructure. There is a four-day tournament between five regional teams, and four one-day tournaments (three provincial and one national, featuring regional teams). There is at least one cricket ground in every region and a national cricket academy in Kabul, along with a development structure for teams from the youth to the senior levels. An ACB spokesperson told ESPNcricinfo that the four-day tournament was yet to get first-class status, but the board has applied to the ICC for this. “We don’t have that recognition yet; in 2011 we started the three-
England beat India A in Dhoni’s captaincy farewell
SAM Billings’ 93 from 85 balls helped England to a three-wicket victory over India A, in MS Dhoni’s final game as captain of an Indian team. Dhoni has stood down before the one-day series but signed off with a brutal 68 off 40 balls, as India A posted 304-5 from their 50 overs in Mumbai. Jason Roy (62) and Alex Hales (40) got England off to a fast start, before Billings took them close to the target. England face India A again tomorrow, before the ODI series begins on Sunday. India are fielding two completely different XIs for the two warm-up matches, but both are full of international caps and quality. After the early loss of Mandeep Singh (8), the hosts progressed steadily with experienced opener Shikhar Dhawan (63) putting on 111 with Ambati Rayudu. Rayudu reached his century off 97 balls, before retiring to give veteran teammates Dhoni and Yuvraj a chance at the crease. Both men took advantage, as first Yuvraj (56) and then captain Dhoni acceler-
ated to power India A above 300, with the latter taking 23 off the final over, delivered by Chris Woakes. Seamers David Willey (2-55) and Jake Ball (2-61) were the only England wicket-takers. Despite Dhoni’s fireworks, the score never looked enough to contain a formidable England batting line-up, although soft dismissals threatened to derail an otherwise straightforward chase. Five men reached at least 40 - with Jos Buttler hitting 46 off 38 and Liam Dawson 41 off 47 - but it was Billings who played the crucial knock, hitting eight boundaries before being bowled seven shy of a deserved century by Hardik Pandya. The tourists left Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow on the sidelines, rested after a taxing 2016, with Liam Plunkett nursing a calf injury and Joe Root yet to arrive after the birth of his son. The three-match ODI series will be followed by three Twenty20 matches, starting on January 26. (BBC Sport)
day tournament and then in 2014 we started the four-day tournament. “We have a grade-three 50-overs tournament between 16 provinces, a gradetwo tournament between 16 provinces and a grade-one competition between eight provinces and the regional
one-day cup. The proposal is sent to the ICC and we are hopeful to get the recognition in the ICC meeting in February.” Afghanistan have played 70 ODIs so far, winning 35 games, and played at their first World Cup in 2015. In T20Is, they have
Afghanistan have progressed rapidly through the Affiliate and Associate ranks after their induction in 2001.
won 32 out of 51 matches and have played in four editions of the World T20.
The team currently rank tenth in ODIs and ninth in the T20I rankings.