An account of
the journey from the refugee camps to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
You talk
about Afghanistan and the first thing that comes to the mind is despair and the
struggle for survival. Amidst the refugee camps, gunshots and missiles, there
lies a strong will to come out of it. The walls full of bullet marks and the
windows shattered by attacks are common sights. There has always been immense
passion and the urge to achieve, but the opportunities haven’t existed.
Afghanistan
has qualified for the most celebrated cricket tournament, ICC Cricket World Cup
2015. Twenty years ago, cricket did not exist there. Not many know that the
refugee camps outside Peshawar gave rise to Afghan cricket. In 1980s, cricket
became popular in Peshawar among the Pushto speaking community of the Pathans
and the city, soon became a hub of cricketers; Afghans who were born in and
around refugee camps outside the city were also selected to play. There has
been no stopping them thereafter.
The
Afghanistan cricket team was formed in 2001. There were no monetary gains and
the players played without proper equipments and facilities. They soon
registered for the ICC Division five competition and their spirit made them cross
every hurdle that there was. Soon, they qualified for the division four and
their elevation to division three got them the One day status that they so
desperately wanted. They qualified for the T20 World Cup and a win against
Pakistan in the 2010 Asian games was all they needed to make a firm statement
to the cricketing world. They also won a match against Hong Kong in 2014 ICC
World Twenty20.
Now that
they are a part of this World Cup, they would be looking to prove their worth
and at the same time, take their game to a higher level. Their captain Mohammad
Nabi, raised in Peshawar refugee camp, has come a long way with stints in
England, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Samiullah Shenwari is also among those like
Nabi, who holds the key to Afghanistan’s middle order. They have a formidable
batting in the form of former captain Nawroz Mangal and Asghar Stanikzai. Their
bowling with the likes of Shapoor Zadran and Dawlat Zadran is breaking bats
quite literally; with each breaking bats of Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka) and
Majid Haq (Scotland) respectively. Hamid Hassan with his brisk pace isn’t bad
either. What they now need to do is, go out and express themselves with their
cricketing weapons. By beating Scotland and achieving their first win in the
World Cup, they have justified their existence. It’s time for us to witness a
cricketing romance, one that is about to take the world by storm. They would
also want to give the test playing nations, a run for their money. They would
like to prove to the ICC that the Associates belong to this level and that the
idea of a 10 team World Cup is not a good one.
With every
Afghan shouting out “Mighty, Mighty Afghans” at all venues they play and
everybody back home glued to their TV sets to watch their fellow countrymen
play, the onus is completely on those 15 men down under. All we want cricket to
do is, to give Afghanistan some respite from their political and social
instability. If cricket can bring peace to those back home, why not! If it can
give smiles to those back home, why not!
