Afghanistan: From cricketing wilderness to ICC Associate member

The Afghanistan team huddle prior to the start of The ICC T20 World Cup warm up match between Ireland and Afghanistan at the Guyana National Stadium Cricket Ground on April 28, 2010 in Providence, Guyana.

Afghanistan became the 37th country to get the Associate membership of International Cricket Council on June 27, 2013. The decision to award them the status was taken in the Annual General Meeting of ICC at London in recognition of the progress made by the national team and the cricket development done in the country.

The journey from cricketing wilderness to the associate status has been nothing short of fascinating. The success story from a country torn apart by war is indeed inspiring.

A brief history

Cricket has been played in Afghanistan since the 1800s. There are records that show a cricket match was played in Afghanistan in 1839 by the British troops posted in the country. However unlike in India & Pakistan, the sport didn’t gain popularity in the nation. It wasn’t until the 1990s when the game caught the fancy of the Afghan refugees in Pakistan, who took the game with them to their homeland when they returned back.

Formation of the Afghanistan Cricket Board and ICC Affiliate status

The Afghanistan Cricket Board was founded in 1995, but the country was taken over by Taliban soon after, who banned all sports including cricket. Quite remarkably, the Taliban overturned the ban for cricket in 2000 (the only exception with other sports continuing to be banned). A national team was formed in the following year and Afghanistan became an affiliate member of the ICC.

A tour to Pakistan followed, where the team played five games against domestic sides, losing three and drawing two. The American invasion of Afghanistan coincided with the tour, and this brought international attention on the Afghan cricket team.

The team visited Pakistan again in 2003, and played some Asian regional tournaments the following year. They finished second in the Middle East Cup in 2006, losing to Bahrain in the final; and beat a MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club) team featuring Mike Gatting in a game at Mumbai, with Gatting scoring a duck in the match. Afghanistan finished third in the ACC (Asian Cricket Council) Trophy later in the year.

Their first tournament victory was the 2007 ACC T20 Trophy which they shared with Oman after a tied final. The team embarked on their mission to qualify for the 2011 Cricket World Cup by competing in the Fifth Division of the World Cricket League. Winning the division, they progressed to win the Fourth and Third Divisions as well, and going on to play in Division One.

Jumping from Division Five in 2008 to Division One in 2010 indicates which the team progressed in such a short time.

Road to becoming an ICC Associate member

The team eventually missed out on qualifying for the World Cup narrowly, but managed to earn ODI status after beating Namibia at Krugersdorp in 2009. A new star was discovered in Hamid Hassan, who finished as the second highest wicket taker in the World Cup Qualifiers.

Hassan became an inspiration for all aspiring cricketers in Afghanistan, and went on to represent MCC and also played in the Bangladesh Premier League.

The Afghan team celebrate victory after the ICC World Twenty20 1st Qualifying Final between Afghanistan and Namibia at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on March 22, 2012 in Dubai, UAE.

Afghanistan also started playing First Class cricket, their first game being against a Zimbabwe XI in the Intercontinental Cup in 2009. The match ended in a draw, with batsman Noor Ali scoring centuries in both innings of the game. He became the fourth player ever to achieve this feat on First Class debut.

Afghanistan played their first T20 International against Ireland in February 2010. They lost the game by 5 wickets. But they later went on to beat the same opponent in the finals of the World T20 Qualifiers to qualify for the main event.

In the 2010 World T20 Championship, they were drawn in the same group as India and South Africa. Unsurprisingly they lost both their games, but not before giving a good account of themselves.

The Afghanistan team played in the 2010 Asian Games in China, winning the silver medal after losing the final to Bangladesh. They won the 2010 Intercontinental Cup, beating Scotland in the final at Dubai.

There were one-off ODIs against Pakistan and Australia in 2012 at Sharjah, with the team losing the matches but impressing everyone with their gritty play. Asghar Stanikzai scored a half century against Australia, while Mohammad Nabi hit a stroke-filled 46 which included 4 sixes in the same match.

Afghanistan qualified for the 2012 World T20 Championship, where they lost their games to India and England.

Currently the Afghanistan team is participating in the World Cricket League Championship, in which the teams finishing in the top two will qualify for 2015 Cricket World Cup.

Cricket Infrastructure and Establishment in the country

The Afghanistan Cricket Board is based in Kabul. Due to security concerns, the team plays its home games at Sharjah. Some home games have also been played at Dambulla, Sri Lanka.

The foundation for the nation’s first cricket stadium, Sherzai Cricket Stadium, was laid at Jalalabad in 2010. It is expected to cost $5million and will be funded by the government. Kabul and Kandahar are also supposed to get full-fledged stadiums in the future.

At present, there are 320 cricket clubs and six turf wickets in the country. The Afghan National Cricket Academy is regulated by the Pakistan Cricket Board under a MoU between the Afghan and Pakistani Cricket Boards to develop the game in the country. The strongly built Afghans are suited to fast bowling, but it’s the batting that the players enjoy the most with a special penchant for hitting sixes.

The national domestic tournament has 22 teams competing in a 25-overs format. The matches attract good crowds numbering up to 15,000. Around 2,000 teams play in various regional and provincial tournaments. Many schools have introduced cricket, and over 20000 children are playing in junior tournaments.

Traditionally cricket has been popular only among the Pashtuns, and shunned by the Tajiks, Uzbeks and Hazaras. The aim of the cricket board is to encourage the participation from all sections of the society and remove the perception that only one tribe plays the game. Hence, cricket can be a tool for bringing people from various communities together and promoting harmony in society.

Conclusion

The Associate status in ICC will be very beneficial for cricket in Afghanistan. The team will have access to better funding from the ICC to develop the game in the country as well as the opportunity to play more at the highest level against the top teams.

For a country that really needs something to cheer about, the cricket team’s success has caught the fancy of the nation. Fans have started calling cricket as the country’s national sport. The players have risen despite the odds. One of the reserve players of the national team was killed by the American forces. Almost every player has suffered due to the war. The meteoric rise in the face of the hardship at home is very inspiring and the cricket team deserves all the credit for showing to the world that despite the darkness and gloominess in Afghanistan, they can be the light representing hope.