When the Afghan cricket team returned after a historic series win in Zimbabwe last October, it took four hours to complete the 15-minute drive to the Kabul National Cricket Stadium.
On Sunday, the entire stretch was once again packed with celebrating Afghans after the feat was repeated, this time at ‘home’ in Sharjah.
On Monday, the country’s under-19 side thrashed its Nepal counterpart by 83 runs in practice ahead of the upcoming World Cup, watched by a dozen supporters at the St. Stephen’s College ground here.
For a country where the game arrived less than two decades ago, Afghanistan’s craze for cricket is astonishing. The poster boys for associate members have progressed rapidly along the pecking order, enough to earn respect and draw popular support back home.
“The craze began after the 2010 T20 World Cup in the West Indies when the team and the game exploded in the media and on television screens. Then the World Cup last year and now these two series at home and away against Zimbabwe have ensured that, irrespective of age or gender, everyone in Afghanistan follows every performance of the team,” said Tawab Zafarzai, cricket operations manager of Afghanistan Cricket Board.
At the World Cup in Australia & New Zealand last year, Afghanistan repeatedly came close to causing upsets in the group stages. The victories against Zimbabwe pushed the team to ninth in World T20 rankings and 10th in ODIs.
“When there was no cricket, people played football; it was the biggest game. The 2012 Olympic medals made taekwondo popular. But cricket is now undoubtedly the biggest sport,” Zafarzai said.
Under-19 captain Ihsanullah Jannat, who started playing more to develop a social circle than anything else, agrees. “We left Afghanistan very early, and I studied in Peshawar. When we came back, I had no friends and thought of starting cricket as a way to make some,” Jannat said.
The younger brother of former Afghanistan captain Navroz Mangal is considered among the most exciting talents back home, but admits he never had big dreams of playing for the country.
The general impression of Afghanistan is one of unforgiving moonscape and the Taliban. But, according to the players and the board, there has not been a single instance so far of the Taliban harming, threatening or preventing cricketers from playing.
Zafarzai narrated an anecdote. “Last season, three of our domestic players lost their way and drove deep into Taliban-controlled area. They were taken hostage but on being told that they were cricketers on their way to Kabul, were released and escorted to safety. That is the kind of respect cricketers enjoy,” he said.
It may just be a fable but it does highlight the relative security enjoyed by the players in a strife-ridden country. There are even reports of the Taliban announcing prize money for the entire team after it beat Pakistan in the 2014 Asian Games, and USA during the World Cup qualifiers.
Most of the players in the under-19 side belong to the border provinces of Afghanistan that continue to be under Taliban control.
“Cricket has come up real fast, with wins against full-member teams including Pakistan and Zimbabwe. It is No.1 now, there is a lot of public support, infrastructure is improving and many more grounds are being built,” Jannat said.
The first big target is the World Cup, and the team is confident of going one better than its previous quarterfinal finish.
“We have eight all-rounders, we are capable of beating any team,” coach Dawlat Khan Ahmadzai said. “The dream is to win the final,” Jannat added.
