Afghanistan Cricket Board Chairman invites international cricket teams to the country

Afghanistan players celebrate their drawn series against Zimbabwe earlier this year

Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) Chairman Shahzada Masoud has sent out an open invite, asking players from other nations to come and play in his country.

Speaking at the Asian Games, Masoud told AFP: "I am telling the players to come to my country and play there, they will treasure those memories forever. We want support from other nations. We had lots of problems in the last 30 years because of the uncertain security situation, but that needs to be erased from our minds and heart now”.

The chairman went on to add that Afghanistan is a safe place for cricketers and the locals adorn them.

”Sport unites people. Cricket is one of our favourite sports. You get 20,000-30,000 people watching our local league matches. The security is good, especially for cricketers. Our teams travel around the country without guards. We don't need those guards. People love them because they represent the country," he stated.

Afghanistan grateful to India and Germany

Masoud went on to claim that the newly constructed stadium at Jalalabad is on par with any other stadium in Asia. The stadium has already played host to Pakistan’s domestic teams and he desires for top teams like India to visit them.

The nation has been receiving tremendous support from foreign nations to raise cricket stadiums as evident from the fact that India donated $US1 million ($A1.08 million) to build a new stadium in Kandahar. Also Germany, despite being a non-cricketing nation has funded 700,000 euros ($A1 million) for a stadium in Khost province, he informed.

"We are grateful to both India and Germany for their support. But what we want now is for teams like India to come and play on our grounds. It would have been so exciting if Sachin Tendulkar had come and played in our country. I hope Mahendra Singh Dhoni can make it," hopes Masoud.

Afghanistan have qualified for the World Cup in 2015, the first time they will be seen in the mega event. Notably, Afghanistan has made three straight appearances in the World T20 tournament and has been on the rise since their national side was formed in 2001.