Afghanistan: From cricketing wilderness to ICC Associate member

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.