Afghanistan Cricket Board High Performance Center manager Dawlat Khan Ahmadzai has outlined a structured, long-term plan to decentralise player development across the country. His focus is on building a wider and more measurable talent pipeline by taking coaching, sports science, medical support and performance analysis closer to players outside Kabul.
Decentralising high performance
Ahmadzai’s core idea is to create Regional High-Performance Centers, or RHPCs, so that development resources are not concentrated in one location. He believes that a centralised model can miss players in distant provinces, while a regional system can widen access and improve the volume of high-quality cricketers entering the pathway.
According to Ahmadzai, Afghanistan has talent across multiple regions, but that talent needs consistent infrastructure. He wants the RHPC model to support skill development, injury management and performance tracking in a more localised setting.
What the regional model is designed to deliver
| Component | Planned impact |
|---|
| Coaching | Closer technical support for regional players |
| Strength and conditioning | Better physical preparation before elite levels |
| Sports science | Data-led monitoring of workload and progress |
| Medical support | Improved injury prevention and rehabilitation |
| Performance analysis | Clearer assessment of readiness and trends |
Connecting HPC to selection
One of Ahmadzai’s more significant proposals is to formally link the High Performance Center with the selection process. He wants the selection panel to receive written performance reports that define whether a player is ready for the next level, needs further development, or should remain in the HPC or a regional center.
This approach is intended to reduce uncertainty and create a more transparent progression system. It also brings the HPC closer to a performance-management role rather than functioning only as a training venue.
Why continuity matters
Ahmadzai said the biggest weakness in Afghanistan’s pathway is a lack of continuity. He pointed to the jump between talent identification, U19 cricket, domestic cricket, Afghanistan A and the national team as stages that are often disconnected from one another.
His aim is to ensure that a player’s development does not restart at every level. Instead, progress should be cumulative, with each stage building on the data and work completed before it.
| Pathway stage | Ahmadzai’s priority |
|---|
| Talent identification | Earlier detection of skill and potential |
| U19 cricket | More meaningful competitive opportunities |
| Domestic cricket | Stronger link to elite performance standards |
| Afghanistan A | Bridge to international demands |
| National team | Greater depth and readiness |
Three-to-five-year development target
Ahmadzai has framed his plan around a three-to-five-year timeline. That window includes expanding RHPCs, improving junior competitions and strengthening the link between age-group, domestic and senior cricket.
He wants more regular junior tournaments so young players can gain match exposure before entering professional cricket. He also wants stronger coaching standards and better support staff across the system, with a particular emphasis on injury-prevention and return-to-play programmes.
System-focused performance goals
| Priority area | Expected outcome |
|---|
| Junior competitions | More game time for emerging players |
| RHPC development | Wider regional talent pool |
| Coach quality | Higher consistency in player growth |
| Medical systems | Better injury management and recovery |
| Player ownership | Greater accountability for individual progress |
Building depth for the national team
Ahmadzai’s broader vision is not simply to produce a fixed number of national players. Instead, he wants Afghanistan to build a system that consistently identifies and develops international-quality cricketers.
That emphasis on repeatable output is important in a country where cricket success has often depended on individual emergence rather than a fully connected development structure. If his plan is implemented effectively, Afghanistan could gain a deeper pool of players competing for every role at the senior level.
For now, the key measure of success will be how well the HPC can shift from a central facility into an integrated performance engine. Ahmadzai wants the national team, domestic structure and high-performance model to work together, with shared objectives and clear responsibility across the pathway.
His message is consistent: Afghanistan cricket must move from spotting talent to systematically producing it.