While conceding that it was impossible to expect the game’s financial giants to schedule additional series against Associates, Afghanistan’s coach Andy Moles suggested that his team be used as a warm-up option for encounters against Pakistan in particular
Daniel Brettig12-Mar-2015Afghanistan are taking a pragmatic approach to the inequities of bilateral arrangements among cricket’s Full Member nations by selling themselves as the best possible means of preparing for assignments against Pakistan in the UAE or other nations on the nearby subcontinent.On the eve of their first ever ODI encounter with card-carrying “big three” nation and early World Cup evictees England, Afghanistan’s coach Andy Moles conceded it was impossible to expect the game’s financial giants to schedule additional series against Associates during the next cycle. Instead, he said his team was being offered up as a warm-up option for encounters against Pakistan in particular, given they both share a base in Dubai.Some nations have already taken up this concept on various tours and not only against Afghanistan. Australia had scheduled a match against Afghanistan in 2012 prior to a series against Pakistan, while also doing similar against Ireland that year and then with an Australia A tour taking in a visit to Ireland ahead of the Ashes. However, other countries, notably England, have been reluctant to do likewise.”What we’re trying to do is offer teams coming to play Pakistan in the UAE a package where anybody coming in there, why not play us as warm-up games,” Moles said. “It’s great for them to get used to playing against Pakistan, but also for us it’s gold, giving us the opportunity to play against these sides before their tour starts against Pakistan.”So we’re trying to package ourselves so anybody going through to Sri Lanka perhaps might drop into the UAE to see us on the way there to give them experience of playing in our conditions, which would be similar to where they’re going, but also it means we get the opportunity to play against their players.”In all reality people aren’t going to say we’ll go play against Afghanistan – there’s not a lot in it for them, let’s be honest. But if we can package something together that the Full Member nations get something out of it as well as us for playing against them, that’s got to be good.”England are scheduled to visit the UAE to face Pakistan in October this year, and Moles said Afghanistan were open to playing whatever form of warm-up fixtures the ECB preferred to get ready for the Test match encounters. England’s team performance apparatus have other more urgent matters on their plate right now, but Moles is hopeful the offer will be warmly received.”We’ve got to be realistic and try to put something together where we can say to England you’re playing Pakistan in October, come to us a week before,” Moles said. “You want a 50-over game, you want a three-day game, you want a four-day game, you want a Twenty20 game, we’ll do whatever you want.”But give us the opportunity to play against the better players, same for all the other countries coming through the region, and if we can approach it in that way we’ve actually got a package that can not only benefit us, but give the opposition coming through a huge benefit than just playing net practice or a match amongst themselves.”There’ll be competition, because we’ll be trying 100% you can be sure of that, but it will get them used to the weather and the conditions. Hopefully that will be a winning situation and that’s the way we’re going to try to tackle that issue.”While debate about the format of the World Cup itself has bubbled consistently across the tournament thus far, the question of how cricket’s second tier nations can develop in intervening years has also been a sore point. Ireland’s captain William Porterfield has often mentioned the fact his team have only played nine matches against Full Members since the 2011 tournament, and the fact that Afghanistan have never played England in an ODI underlines the point.