GREATER NOIDA: Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi said Sunday his side have the potential to challenge the world’s top teams, but will need more exposure in Test cricket.

Shahidi’s team host New Zealand in a one-off Test starting Monday at their adopted home ground in India, near New Delhi, without key players including spin king Rashid Khan. Afghanistan suffered a bruising introduction to Test cricket in 2018 when they lost to India inside two days, but have improved since. Afghanistan hammered New Zealand in this year’s T20 World Cup, but they have won just three Tests out of the nine they have played.

“If you look at Test cricket, we are new in this format — we need more experience,” Shahidi told reporters at the Greater Noida ground. “As a team and as a country, we are brave people and we accept challenges,” he added.

“In the future, if we get more chances we will improve, and show that we are the best team.” Afghanistan will miss leg-spinner Rashid, who has taken a break to recover from an ongoing back injury. Shahidi said it would be “tough” without him but was confident in his inexperienced team’s young talent, including 23-year-old spinner Shams Ur Rahman.

The skipper said it was also a chance for new names to step up. “We have more talented guys, it’s an opportunity for them to make their names in the world of cricket”, he said. “Everyone is willing to give their best”, he said. “We have talented players, and we can do well in every department — some of our players have hundreds in this format,” he added. “It’s tough, but if we play to our strength, we can beat any team.”

‘In for a fight’

New Zealand, led by Tim Southee, begin their South Asia tour against Afghanistan, ahead of two Test matches in Sri Lanka and three more in India.

The Afghanistan Test is not part of the World Test Championship, but the remaining five will be. The team’s practice sessions on unfamiliar subcontinent pitches have been interrupted by rain. “Conditions are foreign to what we are used to, but we are excited about the chance of playing six Test matches on the bounce here in the sub-continent,” said Southee. “It’s exciting to play cricket in India”.

Southee said he remained wary of Afghanistan. “Afghanistan have been an improving side for a number of years,” he said. “Any time you come up against them, you know you are in for a fight”. He added that spin bowling would play a key part in all six Tests.

“When you come to this part of the world, you expect spin to play a heavy role, and we have a number of different options and some quality spinners to turn to,” he said. New Zealand’s left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel became only the third bowler in Test history to claim all 10 wickets in an innings against India at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, in 2021. — AFP