From Peshawar to Harare: Five crucial wins in Afghanistan's history

When Afghanistan take on India on 14 June at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru for their maiden Test match, a foundation stone that was laid in Peshawar, Pakistan, two decades ago will finally have found fruition.

The story goes that Taj Malik, one of the founding fathers of Afghanistan cricket, formed the Afghan Cricket Club in one of the refugee camps in Peshawar, where several Afghans had taken shelter after they were forced to leave their homeland due to the Taliban insurgency.

The club, which was the stepping stone for future Afghanistan cricketers such as Karim Sadiq and former captain Nawroz Mangal, competed against Pakistan clubs, and its growth led to the formation of Afghanistan Cricket Federation (which later became the Afghanistan Cricket Board) in 1995.

Granted Affiliate membership by the ICC in 2001, the international journey of another subcontinent team began. Since then, Afghanistan have grown through the ranks by winning the World Cricket League Division 5 and the Intercontinental Cup, beaten Test-playing nations in limited-overs cricket, and have qualified for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 after having played the 2015 edition.

Here's a list of five of their most crucial and emphatic victories in their journey.

1. Beat Jersey in World Cricket League Division 5 final in 2008

The seeds of success for Afghanistan cricket on the international stage were sown almost a decade ago in 2008, when they beat Jersey by two wickets in the final of the ICC World Cricket League Division 5 in a nail-biting affair. The bowlers, led by Hamid Hasan's 4/27 and Hasti Gul's 3/17, bowled Jersey out for 80 inside 40 overs, but Afghanistan slipped to 62/8 in reply.

However, Gul came to their rescue again, hitting an unbeaten 29 and took the team home. Afghanistan had already made it to Division Four by qualifying for the final, but claiming the trophy gave them the belief, perhaps, that they belonged at this level. "This game was very important to the team and to the country," Gul had said after the match.

2. Beat Kenya in World Cricket League Championship 2013 to qualify for Cricket World Cup 2015

After having played in two successive editions of the ICC World T20, in 2010 and 2012, Afghanistan qualified for their first 50-over World Cup in 2015 courtesy a seven-wicket win over Kenya in their last game of the World Cricket League Championship 2013. Bowling first after winning the toss, Afghanistan bundled out the opposition for 93 runs in 43.3 overs courtesy 3/19 by Amir Hamza and 2/10 by captain Mohammad Nabi.

They then chased the target down in just 20.5 overs for the loss of three wickets, with Nabi leading the way with his unbeaten 46. This win ensured them a place in the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. "I can't express my feelings. It is a very big day in my life. I'm sure there will be huge celebrations back home," Nabi had said after the win.

Afghanistan registered their maiden World Cup victory in that 2015 edition as well, beating Scotland by one wicket in a thriller in Dunedin.

3. Beat the Windies in ICC World T20 2016

Having made it to their fourth successive World T20 in 2016, Afghanistan managed a big upset over the Windies – a team that would go on to win the tournament – in a league game in Nagpur. After being put in to bat, Afghanistan managed a respectable total of 123/7, helped by 48* off 40 by Najibullah Zadran.

While it was expected of the Windies, who boasted the likes of Marlon Samuels, Dwayne Bravo and Andre Russell in their midst, to chase the target down, twin hauls of 2/26 by Nabi and Rashid Khan helped Afghanistan restrict the 2012 champions to 117/8. Nabi defended 10 off the final over to give his side a six-run victory.

Afghanistan could not make it to the knockouts of the tournament, but the confidence carried from this victory helped them beat the Windies once again, this time in the Caribbean, in a one-day international in 2017.

4. Won ICC Intercontinental Cup in 2017

They were slowly emerging as a good unit in limited-overs cricket but Afghanistan were making bold claims for a Test status as well, and the biggest push towards their cause came with them winning the ICC Intercontinental Cup for the second straight time, in 2017. While the tournament was won in December 2017, when Afghanistan registered a 10-wicket victory over the United Arab Emirates, they had one hand on the trophy after beating Ireland in Greater Noida in March.

Trailing Ireland by 19 points coming into the contest, Afghanistan needed a victory to improve their chances of a top-place finish and move one step closer to their dream of becoming a Test nation. That they did it in style would be an understatement, as they beat Ireland, who had lost only two games in the history of the Intercontinental Cup, by an innings and 172 runs.

Captain Asghar Stanikzai's 145 took Afghanistan to 537/8 declared in their first innings, before they bowled Ireland out twice, for 261 and 104, to romp home with authority.

5. Qualified for their second World Cup in 2018

Afghanistan came into the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2018 as one of the favourites despite the presence of previous World Cup winners in the Windies, and Test nation Zimbabwe. Although the campaign did not bring out the best in them early on, they managed to fight back to seal a berth in the final and a place in the 10-team CWC 19.

They won just one match out of four in the group stage, against Nepal, after losing to Zimbabwe, Scotland and Hong Kong, and finished third in their group to qualify, but only just, for the Super Six. They resurrected themselves thereafter, beating the Windies twice, including in the final, as well as Ireland and the United Arab Emirates.

In their final Super Six game against Ireland, which paved the way for the final and sealed a World Cup berth, Afghanistan were helped by Mohammad Shahzad’s 50-ball 54 at the top of the order that laid the platform for the chase of 210, and the rest of the batting line-up ensured that they got home with five balls to spare.