Mohammad Nabi walked off the field proudly with his teammates giving him a special guard of honour as he finished his Test career after contributing towards a historic victory over Bangladesh in Chattogram this Monday (September 9). 

Nabi took part in only three Tests for his country but also played a significant role in helping Afghanistan gain full-membership from ICC and with it, the prestigious Test status, via excellent all-round performances over the years. 

And hence, the 34-year-old man, who now wishes to prolong his stay at the international level in ODIs and T20Is, is also quite proud of what he was able to achieve in red-ball cricket for his brave nation. 

"I had the dream to play Test cricket for Afghanistan," he told reporters after the historic win against Bangladesh. "We have worked really hard for that in a short time. Not last 13 to 14 years, we have achieved that target seven to eight years. We struggled a lot, we had to prepare mentally, combine a team combination."

"We have played the Inter-Continental Cup three times and we won twice and were the runners-up once. It's a very good result and because of that the ICC gave us Test status. And I am very happy to be part of that generation of Afghanistan."

"My plan is that the youngsters should be prepared for the next Tests as they are the future for us. That's why I have decided to leave Test matches and focus on One-Day internationals and T20s."

The win versus Bangladesh away from home is Afghans' first major scalp in Test Cricket and their second victory in only three Test matches - having beaten Ireland in Dehradun earlier this year - that they've played since that famous maiden outing with India in Bangalore which ended in a defeat. 

And Nabi said this could be possible only after some gruelling preparations his team went through leading upto the encounter. 

"It's a historic win because in this format, we are new. We have played only three games against India, Ireland and Bangladesh and we won two games. It means we are good in this format and it means that our domestic structure is strong."

"The youngsters, the way they are playing, the way they are adjusting to the conditions, it's really a brilliant team. Maybe it's a bright future as well for the youngsters to play in this format," he added. 

"We had a 10-day preparation camp in Abu Dhabi. The experience for the first five days was terrible as the temperature was 46-47 (degrees Celsius). And when we came here, there was humidity but it was not that hot. We adjusted very quickly in these conditions. The preparation for the Test match was really good. That's why the boys have performed both in batting and bowling departments."

"We put up good totals in both the innings. I will talk especially about the young guy Ibrahim. Recently he played here in with A team against Bangladesh A and he performed really well. It proved that he has the ability, he has talent to play in Test cricket," Nabi concluded. 

(Inputs from Cricbuzz)