Several sponsors have left and Afghanistan’s status as a full member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) was in doubt at one stage because of the Taliban rulers’ stance against women’s cricket. With only sporadic international cricket in the Future Tours Programme (FTP) calendar for them, franchise cricket has come as a blessing for the likes of Rashid and Mohammad Nabi who have emerged as sought-after names in those leagues.”We don’t play a lot of longer format cricket,” Rashid told reporters ahead of Tuesday’s Asia Cup contest against Bangladesh in Sharjah.

“It is about the FTP, and not in the players’ hands. We want to play a lot of international cricket so that our youngsters can understand the environment to improve their skills.” “Since we play a lot of international leagues, it allows us to learn from the best players.” “We bring that experience to the international team. We share that with the rest of the team.”

It showed in their performance as Afghanistan humbled former champions, Sri Lanka, by eight wickets in the tournament opener on Saturday. “International cricket remained a priority for the players despite the lure of Twenty20 leagues,” said Rashid. “If there’s an international duty, you have to be present. It is always the priority.” “We are hopeful of playing more international games in the coming years.”