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Dubai. Less than four years after playing its first tournament against teams including Japan and Norway, Afghanistan will write a new chapter in its remarkable rise with a one-day international against Pakistan on Friday.

Afghanistan, unable to host matches during a decade of war between NATO forces and the Taliban, won its initial tournament in May 2008.

It qualified for the Twenty20 World Cup in the Caribbean two years later and then came within touching distance of a place at last year’s 50-overs World Cup in the Asian subcontinent.

The players’ consolation was to secure one-day international status and Friday’s match in their adopted cricketing home of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates is a chance to test themselves against a Pakistan side that whitewashed England in the recent three-match test series.

Pakistan, which is also forced to play abroad because of security problems at home, was the country where some of the Afghanistan players were born and where they learned the game in refugee camps.

“I can assure you that millions of Afghanistan cricket supporters across the globe have been waiting for this day, which comes after years of hard work, sacrifice and commitment,” said Nasimullah Danish, the chief executive of the Afghanistan Cricket Board.

“Afghanistan cricket has been taking small but solid steps while making upward movement and it would be fair to say that our next target is to qualify for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.”

Those steps include the inauguration of the rebuilt Kabul Cricket Stadium last December, when 8,000 spectators came to watch the national senior team take on an under-19 side.

The International Cricket Council contributes around $700,000 a year to aid Afghanistan and it is eager that today’s match encourages other top teams to follow Pakistan’s lead.

“In order for cricket to remain competitive within the international sporting marketplace, it is important that more countries are capable of performing well at the highest international level,” said Tim Anderson, the ICC’s global development manager.

“For sides to reach that level they need to play more against higher standard opposition, so Pakistan playing Afghanistan is a terrific initiative that we are very excited about.”

Afghanistan has played in the Pakistan domestic competition and against Pakistan A sides, while two of the country’s past coaches, Kabir Khan and Rashid Latif, are Pakistani.

Reuters