NEW DELHI: Since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan last year, a lot has changed in the country. The aftermath of the turmoil saw the officials of the Afghanistan Cricket Board leaving the nation, UAE residency visas were arranged for nearly two dozen players to avoid travel issues, sponsors started pulling out, ICC Full Membership was at stake because of the Taliban's stance against women's cricket. But none of that was enough to deter the national men's team as it overcame all the odds to continue shining on the international stage, especially in the shortest format.
Before the start of the ongoing edition of the Asia Cup, most cricket experts were expecting Afghanistan to put up strong performances - and they lived up to that billing - beating both Sri Lanka (by 8 wickets) and then Bangladesh (by 7 wickets) to become the first team to qualify for the Super Four stage.
