Abu Dhabi: Afghanistan’s Indian coach Lalchand Rajput is confident that his team are ready and will have no problems in making the transition if given Test status.

Under Rajput, the team from the war-torn country has taken some giant strides in all formats and, if all goes well, might soon be among the Test-playing nations. As per media reports, the decision will be taken at the Annual General Conference of the International Cricket Council (ICC) that got under way in London on Monday.

Ireland and Afghanistan are both eligible for the switch and they might end up joining Zimbabwe in ‘tier 2’ and become the 10th and 11th Test playing nations.

And with that, the teams will get the opportunity to lock horns with the top team from this group to get a chance to play with the best eight teams of the world.

“It will be a great thing to happen. Test cricket is the ultimate thing for any player and they have been only playing ODIs and T20s, so the longer version of the game will help these boys a lot. Their mental toughness and skill factor will all grow with this opportunity. It will be a huge move forward for them and the sport in their country,” said Rajput, while speaking to Gulf News over the phone.

Afghanistan now has a proper structure in place and there are over 300-plus full-time players. The players are being paid handsomely — between $4,000 per month for the top earners down to $200 per month for the lower-rated full-timers. They also got a huge shot in the arm after the Board of Control for Cricket in India decided to give them full backing. The team has made Noida their new home and Rajput is making sure they are getting enough match practice playing against Club teams.

Afghanistan cricket also got a huge boost when the Indian Premier League franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad signed two players — spinner Rashid Khan and all-rounder Mohammad Nabi — for its 10th edition and the duo hogged the limelight with their performances.

Afghanistan’s recent series against the West Indies ended in a 1-1 tie after the deciding match was washed out by rain. Leg-spinner Khan ripped through the West Indies batting-line in that win and finished with exceptional figures of 7-18. West Indies coach Stuart Law also went on record saying that his players were actually ‘less experienced’ than the Associate Member in ODI cricket.

Afghanistan were scheduled to play Ireland next month, whom they had beaten 3-2 in the last ODI encounter in Greater Noida in March. But the Afghanistan Cricket Board pulled out of it as they were more keen on popularising the sport back home with a domestic franchise T20 event.

“From the time I have taken over, we have been doing consistently well in all formats. Whatever four-day match we have played also we have done well. People will be sceptical about the move but unless you throw the players into that situation and give them a new challenge, how will you know? It is like throwing them into water and seeing if they can swim or not,” said Rajput, who in an earlier interview with Gulf News had revealed that his main target was to see Afghanistan gain Test status.

He most certainly will be keeping his fingers crossed.