| Scores | Upcoming | Results |
Sharjah: Afghanistan team players are excited and have promised to put up their best showing in their first-ever one-day international against Pakistan in Sharjah on Friday, an official said.
The war-torn country has played 18 one-day internationals since gaining status in 2009 but all their matches were against associate and affiliate teams Canada, the Netherlands, Ireland, Kenya and Scotland.
And the prospect of playing Pakistan, World Cup champions of one-day cricket in 1992, left the Afghanistan players ecstatic.
"It's a great opportunity for Afghanistan players and they can't wait for Friday," team manager Shafiqullah Stanikzai said. "It's a tough challenge for the team but we will show our qualities and fight to the last."
Of their 18 ODIs to date, Afghanistan have won 11 and lost seven and Stanikzai said despite the big challenge his team will not let their fans down.
"The Afghanistan team is an entertainment package and we will try to give the best possible fight to Pakistan, who are the form team after beating England 3-0 in Tests and doing well in one-day cricket recently," said Stanikzai.
The cricket relationship between the two countries goes a long way, as the game was made popular in Afghanistan by refugees who spent years living in Pakistan when Soviet troops invaded their country in 1979.
In the last three years cricket has progressed in the war-ravaged country by leaps and bounds.
Afghanistan finished fifth in the World Cup qualifiers in 2009 to win the right to play one-day cricket and the following year they won the qualifying tournament to earn an opportunity to play in the World Twenty20 held in West Indies.
Afghanistan's team will be led by Nawroz Mangal and has exciting players in Karem Sadiq, Mohammad Nabi, Mohammad Shahzad and fast bowler Hamid Hassan.
Pakistan coach Mohsin Khan said his team will not take Afghanistan lightly.
"Afghanistan's team is coming up very fast and we will take them very seriously," said Khan, hoping his team carry on their good work from the 3-0 Test series win over England.
"Pakistan is charged up and in high confidence coming off an historic first whitewash of England in a Test series. This one-dayer is serving as a warm-up game for Pakistan before it takes on England in four ODIs and three Twenty20s." said Khan.
Pakistan have brought in all-rounders Shahid Afridi and Hammad Azam in the squad for the one-day matches. Organisers in Sharjah hope a large number of Afghan and Pakistan expats will come to support their teams.
Pakistan coach Mohsin Khan believes non-Test teams like Afghanistan are a threat in ODIs and Twenty20s.
Afghanistan is ranked ninth in Twenty20s, and did well against South Africa and India in the 2010 World Twenty20.
Afghanistan has won 11 and lost seven one-dayers against affiliate and associate teams since it was awarded ODI status in 2009.
In 2010, Afghanistan defeated Pakistan in the Twenty20 semifinals at the Asian Games before winning the silver medal at Guangzhou, China.
Last year, Afghanistan became the first foreign team to tour Pakistan since 2009 when it played three one-dayers against Pakistan but was comprehensively beaten 3-0.
Afghanistan manager Shafiqullah Stanikzai said his team was not in good form then and will do much better this time.
Teams from
Pakistan: Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Abdur Rehman, Adnan Akmal (wk), Aizaz Cheema, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Hammad Azam, Imran Farhat, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Hafeez, Saeed Ajmal, Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Umar Akmal, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Younis Khan
Afghanistan: Nawroz Mangal (captain), Dawlat Zadran, Gulbodin Naib, Hamza Hotak, Izatullah Dawlatzai, Javed Ahmadi, Karim Sadiq, Mirwais Ashraf, Mohammad Nabi, Mohammad Shahzad (wk), Noor Ali Zadran, Samiullah Shenwari, Shabir Noori, Shapoor Zadran.
Match facts
Friday February 9, 2012 (day/night)
Start time 1500 local (1100 GMT)
