Ireland, Afghanistan awarded Test status

Test cricket is the ultimate form of game and it is said so because of the rigours it comes along with. Hence it is not a surprise that countries that are well equipped to handle the longer format of the game are given preference over some of the others; there were only ten Test playing nations, but with the International Cricket Council (ICC) meeting held in London today (June 22), Ireland and Afghanistan are the two new entrants to the elite group.

There was a voting held to decide whether the two countries should be allowed to make a debut in the five-day format and with the majority of votes backing the two nations to make it 12 Test playing nations.

Ireland have been knocking on the doors of the ICC for quite some time. Having played their first 50-over World Cup in 2007 and immediately making an impact by beating Pakistan, Ireland have since participated in every ICC event, causing a few upsets along the way.

Afghanistan, on the other hand, have grown tremendously since they received their One-Day status in 2011. Having failed to reach the World Cup the same year, the Asian side has made giant steps in ODIs and Twenty20 cricket. They qualified for the 2015 World Cup and won their first game in the mega event by beating Scotland.

The Asian side has been in the ascendancy for quite a while now. Their journey graph is on the upward curve and they are more formidable than any other associate nation, including Ireland, whom they beat in a recently held ODI and T20I series.

It comes as a no surprise that a team consisting of Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan, who are making all the waves for participating in different leagues around the globe, will be able to test their skills in the longest form of the game.

Source: Cricbuzz