By: Khushal Azam
Afghanistan's cricketing journey, in many ways a truly Afghan story, starts in 2001 when it was first formed and became the affiliate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) the same year and a member of Asian Cricket Council (ACC) in 2003.
In this astonishing journey plots and sub-plots include loyalty, politics, emotions, tragedy (a former Afghan cricketer Rahmat Wali was killed at Khost province in a night raid when US forces suspected him as Talibans' fighter in 2008). The Afghan players are a bunch of immensely naturally gifted, motivated, charismatic and proud individuals.
The main part of this journey starts from Jersey, where they first participated in the lowest division (Division 5) of World Cricket League in 2008 to within touching distance of qualifying for World Cup 2011 in 2009, Afghan cricket has indeed gone through several notches of transformation within a short span of four years.
Their skills have now shaped so well that it's very hard to even imagine that some of these players never held a hard cricket ball (they played only tape-ball cricket) seven years ago, doesn't this seem quite impossible to believe?
They naturally had self-belief, but a professional personality had to be found as a guide, given the demands of international cricket. Aggression, which to our players come naturally, had to be harnessed and handled. They were emotional individuals considering how proud they were to represent their country.
This is where one of the foremost characters in this enthralling story, Kabir Khan comes in. Now coaching the UAE, the former Pakistani Test cricketer was perhaps the right kind of guide our players needed. Kabir Khan hailed from Peshawar, which meant ethnically, culturally and linguistically, there weren't going to be any problems and that cricket could now take over.
He took over as a coach from Taj Malik Alam, despite the latter playing a major role in Afghanistan winning its first international tournament, the World Cricket League (Division 5). Taj Malik was a very good person who was instrumental in getting the side together. But unfortunately, he didn't have a proper plan for the team and was too emotional. He believed that hitting boundaries was the most important thing, and that singles and twos weren't.
When Kabir took over as coach, Afghanistan was a team of sheer contrasts - an extraordinary bowling line-up capable of defending the lowest of targets and sadly, a batting order, high on talent, but lacking in maturity, often dismissed before their allotted 50 overs. Their attitude was top class, but though work had to be done on their mental and tactical side of cricket and that's all what Kabir Khan as a good coach worked on and improved them.
Today, Afghanistan is a team with ODI and Twenty20 International status, with a more than impressive show in the four-day competition, ICC Intercontinental Cup, a level below Test cricket, a first-class tournament for top Associate and Affiliate teams which they won at their first attempt, which included a successful run-chase of 494 runs against Canada in about one day in the competition and went undefeated till the end.
As an Afghan cricket fan I feel it is important one of the Asian boards adopts Afghanistan as a pet project and start helping in its growth. If England can help and support the likes of Holland, Scotland and Ireland, why can't the asian boards think of Afghanistan? And this isn't even about money, but opportunity that should be given to our players.
Conflict, they say, gives birth to great stories - Afghanistan's rise in cricket is quite the folklore cricket desperately desired and as fans we must cherish this for as long as possible. In a matter of four years, Afghanistan demonstrated not just the sheer power of cricket, but what individuals as a whole could achieve.
A near heartbreak in South Africa in 2009 World Cup Qualifiers aside, where our team failed to make it to the World Cup 2011, today, they've played the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean, won the ICC Intercontinental Cup at their first attempt, clinched the silver medal in Cricket at the Asian Games in Guangzhou in 2010 and is even more successful in ACC tournaments by winning all the to tournaments they take part. All this, for a nation which has suffered from decades of war. Sadly, I think the likes of Hamid Hassan, Mohammad Nabi or Nawroz Mangal may never get to play Test cricket, but I feel as long as they get more moments to cry with pride and more victories, cricket will be the richer sport.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Afghanistan's cricketing journey, in many ways a truly Afghan story, starts in 2001 when it was first formed and became the affiliate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) the same year and a member of Asian Cricket Council (ACC) in 2003.
In this astonishing journey plots and sub-plots include loyalty, politics, emotions, tragedy (a former Afghan cricketer Rahmat Wali was killed at Khost province in a night raid when US forces suspected him as Talibans' fighter in 2008). The Afghan players are a bunch of immensely naturally gifted, motivated, charismatic and proud individuals.
The main part of this journey starts from Jersey, where they first participated in the lowest division (Division 5) of World Cricket League in 2008 to within touching distance of qualifying for World Cup 2011 in 2009, Afghan cricket has indeed gone through several notches of transformation within a short span of four years.
Their skills have now shaped so well that it's very hard to even imagine that some of these players never held a hard cricket ball (they played only tape-ball cricket) seven years ago, doesn't this seem quite impossible to believe?
They naturally had self-belief, but a professional personality had to be found as a guide, given the demands of international cricket. Aggression, which to our players come naturally, had to be harnessed and handled. They were emotional individuals considering how proud they were to represent their country.
This is where one of the foremost characters in this enthralling story, Kabir Khan comes in. Now coaching the UAE, the former Pakistani Test cricketer was perhaps the right kind of guide our players needed. Kabir Khan hailed from Peshawar, which meant ethnically, culturally and linguistically, there weren't going to be any problems and that cricket could now take over.
He took over as a coach from Taj Malik Alam, despite the latter playing a major role in Afghanistan winning its first international tournament, the World Cricket League (Division 5). Taj Malik was a very good person who was instrumental in getting the side together. But unfortunately, he didn't have a proper plan for the team and was too emotional. He believed that hitting boundaries was the most important thing, and that singles and twos weren't.
When Kabir took over as coach, Afghanistan was a team of sheer contrasts - an extraordinary bowling line-up capable of defending the lowest of targets and sadly, a batting order, high on talent, but lacking in maturity, often dismissed before their allotted 50 overs. Their attitude was top class, but though work had to be done on their mental and tactical side of cricket and that's all what Kabir Khan as a good coach worked on and improved them.
Today, Afghanistan is a team with ODI and Twenty20 International status, with a more than impressive show in the four-day competition, ICC Intercontinental Cup, a level below Test cricket, a first-class tournament for top Associate and Affiliate teams which they won at their first attempt, which included a successful run-chase of 494 runs against Canada in about one day in the competition and went undefeated till the end.
As an Afghan cricket fan I feel it is important one of the Asian boards adopts Afghanistan as a pet project and start helping in its growth. If England can help and support the likes of Holland, Scotland and Ireland, why can't the asian boards think of Afghanistan? And this isn't even about money, but opportunity that should be given to our players.
Conflict, they say, gives birth to great stories - Afghanistan's rise in cricket is quite the folklore cricket desperately desired and as fans we must cherish this for as long as possible. In a matter of four years, Afghanistan demonstrated not just the sheer power of cricket, but what individuals as a whole could achieve.
A near heartbreak in South Africa in 2009 World Cup Qualifiers aside, where our team failed to make it to the World Cup 2011, today, they've played the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean, won the ICC Intercontinental Cup at their first attempt, clinched the silver medal in Cricket at the Asian Games in Guangzhou in 2010 and is even more successful in ACC tournaments by winning all the to tournaments they take part. All this, for a nation which has suffered from decades of war. Sadly, I think the likes of Hamid Hassan, Mohammad Nabi or Nawroz Mangal may never get to play Test cricket, but I feel as long as they get more moments to cry with pride and more victories, cricket will be the richer sport.
2 comments:
Khushi Azam one of the best written story of inspiration , motivation of our brother who played for afganistan. Well, what i want to say is that brother if u talk about asian countries i think pakistan is the one who help you to raise your levels through participation in pakistani domestic tournaments and coach your team in difficult time. i am disagree with your statement that noone help you in asia and support you in this time.if you say this for india, bangladesh, srilanka, then this is right bt not for pakistan.whereas, when we tall about england they support holland etc. As a pakistani i wish that every country appreciate what pakistan did 4 any country. Thanx Regards
Best of luck aafgan team.
Ahhh. I closely watch the Afghan Cricket and the below sentence in the article made me cry for minutes.
" Sadly, I think the likes of Hamid Hassan, Mohammad Nabi or Nawroz Mangal may never get to play Test cricket"
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