AFGHANISTAN and Ireland will join the ranks of full Test-playing nations after receiving the backing of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) conference yesterday.
The body said it had voted to admit the two nations into the elite group that is permitted to play traditional five-day Test matches.
As new full members of the ICC, Ireland and Afghanistan will take the total of countries playing Tests to 12.
“For a nation like Afghanistan it is a huge and remarkable achievement, the entire nation will be celebrating across all five regions and different provinces. It is the perfect Eid gift,” said Afghanistan Cricket Board chief executive Shafiq Stanikzai, referring to the approaching Muslim holiday that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
“Everyone has waited for this news and has been so keen to hear this news. Afghanistan cricket has gone from strength to strength and we dared to dream that this would happen and today it has become a reality,” he added.
Until 1982 there were only seven full members of the ICC but that year Sri Lanka was admitted. Zimbabwe then joined in 1992 and Bangladesh became the most recent member in 2000.
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