Afghanistan For decades it has been struggling with a situation that has taken away the smile from the faces of children and the peace from parents. Amidst the rugged cliffs and mountain ranges, Kabul is the only city that has retained some measure of its dimension and fun factor despite the scenes of bombs, shells, fire and dust, and despite the lack of resources, the youth is inclined towards sports. kept
Cricket has never been a part of Afghanistan’s history and tradition. The history of antagonism with the British made cricket, invented by the British, taboo as a rebellious attitude.
The very idea of cricket in a poverty-stricken society was futile due to the abundance of accessories and equipment, and then the dominance of religion made it even more impossible.
But the simplest tap ball cricket in and around Peshawar became a point of interest for the children of the families who became refugees in Pakistan after being affected by the Afghan war, who did not even have access to educational facilities in the refugee camps.
He took up cricket to pass the time and frequently played ‘hill cricket’ with the local Pashtuns in which the uneven terrain called for maximum strength.
These immigrants from Afghanistan became aggressive batsmen and fast bowlers due to their physique and strong muscles.
When the local clubs started receiving a batch of talented players, they started giving them more chances to win and this is where the craze for cricket in the Afghan nation started to grow. There was a time when Peshawar’s clubs had 100% Afghan players.
Formation of the national team
Before the first arrival of the Taliban in Afghanistan, the game of cricket began to be played in Kabul. Afghan youths who sometimes come back to their homeland from Pakistan started light cricket in Kabul, Kandahar, Jalalabad and Kannada.
The militant attitude of the Taliban banned cricket, but when an anti-Taliban government was formed and some peace was restored in Kabul, regular cricket began.
During this time, many Afghan players had also become a part of first-class cricket in Pakistan, including former captain Mohammad Nabi, who was part of the Pakistan Customs team in the current team.
Full support from ICC and Pakistan
ICC and Pakistan played a big role in promoting cricket in Afghanistan. After the establishment of the Afghanistan Cricket Board, the ICC provided financial support and struggled to build infrastructure.
Pakistan helped Afghan players to participate in domestic cricket. Facilitated the visa process and sent Rashid Khan, Rashid Latif, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Kabir Khan and other coaches to Afghanistan for their coaching so that Afghan cricket could develop.
ICC made arrangements in Dubai for the practice and training of the Afghan team with the help of United Arab Emirates, which breathed new spirit into the team.
A journey from earth to heaven
Although the Afghanistan team started international cricket with small teams, they soon came to compete with the big teams.
After qualifying for the 2010 T20 World Cup for the first time, his journey did not stop.
The 2015 World Cup proved to be a major milestone for them when they participated in the World Cup for the first time and made headlines by defeating Scotland.
After this World Cup, the performance of the Afghanistan team improved a lot and after defeating the big teams like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Ireland, they became candidates for Test status.
Played the first Test against India in 2018 and then played more Test matches but due to his temperament and money rain, his focus has been on limited overs matches.
The doors of IPL have opened
Afghanistan cricket got the most fame from IPL where many of their players were bought by franchises for huge fees.
Rashid Khan The most important member of the team and the top leg spinner in the world of cricket, his purchase price surprised everyone when he was valued at 6 lakh dollars in 2017 at the age of 18, who was bought by Gujarat Titans for 2 million dollars in the last season. received in exchange for
Along with them, seven more Afghan players are part of the IPL, with them playing in every T20 league around the world for a hefty fee.
Mujeebur Rehman, Mohammad Nabi, Noor Ahmed, Ibrahim Zadran, Rehman Garbaz, Fazal Haque Farooqui and Naveen Haque are the players who are the first desire of every league including PSL.
The climax of the current World Cup
World Cup 2023 Afghanistan team has shown amazing performance. His successes against England and Pakistan are not a coincidence but the result of years of hard work.
England team is anxious to defend the honor in this World Cup, but the performance of Afghanistan against Pakistan team has captivated everyone.
His style of bowling and the skill with which he played one of the world’s best in batting to get past the target has left cricket pundits in awe.
Despite minimal facilities, unfavorable conditions and non-availability of essential items, the enthusiasm and passion with which the Afghanistan team developed their cricket is both admirable and worthy of emulation.
Defeating Pakistan and England by a clear margin has made this team one of the top eight teams in the world.
Rashid Khan, who has seen less of the difficult conditions and has shaped his early cricket on Pakistani soil, owes these surprising results more than team spirit to the millions of people in Afghanistan whose prayers and passions are many orders of magnitude stronger than his own. Defeated teams.
When they share the joy of victory after the match, they remember the millions of people who are deprived of basic amenities and interpret one cricket win as winning the world.
Today, Rashid Khan is the beloved player of Afghanistan and every Afghan youth considers him as their idol.
The current Taliban ruler also congratulates him on his excellent performance and the victory of the team, but Rashid also remembers the time when he received threats from the Taliban last year when he posted a protest message on social media about girls’ education.
Rashid Khan or Mohammad Nabi, all the players are grateful to Pakistan for their basic cricket but their style was not suitable after the match against Pakistan.
At the end of the match, Ibrahim Zadran named his award in the name of illegal immigrants expelled from Pakistan.
The match against Australia is a matter of honor
Afghanistan’s crucial match is against Australia at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday.
The Afghan team complains that Australia canceled the one-day series earlier this year, saying there would be no international cricket as long as restrictions on girls’ education remained in place.
Now they are asking how Australia is ready to play in the World Cup?
This section contains related reference points (Related Nodes field).
Fast bowler Naveen-ul-Haq wrote on Instagram two days ago that it is ridiculous for Australia to appear in the World Cup, denying the mutual series.
For Afghanistan, who have eight points from seven matches, the remaining two matches against Australia and South Africa are very important and if they win even one match, they will have a very good chance of reaching the semi-finals.
Australia’s team is in disarray at the moment. Mitchell Marsh not available. Steve Smith is also sick, while Maxwell is injured.
On the other hand, the Afghanistan team is fully fit and full of enthusiasm, they want to win this match for the honor of Afghanistan.
The real strength, the bowling is completely disarmed. Fazal Haq Farooqui, Naveen Haque, Azmatul Islam fast bowlers along with spinners Mujeebur Rehman, Rashid Khan, Muhammad Nabi and Noor Ahmed will be noticeable bowling.
If there is any spin in the pitch, the Kangaroos could be in trouble for whom this win is a must.
One name behind Afghanistan team’s great performance in the World Cup is coach Jonathan Trott.
England’s greatest batsman of his time, whose batting brought victory in the Ashes.
Today, they have transferred their skills to Afghan players. The strong batting by the Afghan openers took away the match from Pakistan, with a hint of trot.
India’s second team
The Afghanistan team has received immense love and affection in India. Former cricketers, media and fans are fully supporting. The way they got encouragement from all sides in the match against Pakistan has forced them to say that this is India’s second team.
Sachin Tendulkar reached the training of the Afghanistan team to boost his morale before the important match against Australia.
Perhaps behind this love is the state of conflict in recent Afghanistan-Pakistan relations.
Former Indian cricketer and captain Sachin Tendulkar talks to Afghanistan cricket team players Ibrahim Zadran and Naveen Haq during a practice session on November 6, 2023 (AFP)
Afghanistan is a country devoid of the facilities of life, which has no proper cricket system, no good ground, a country suffering from economic restrictions, for which cricket is considered a luxury.
For his team, the World Cup is no less than an extravaganza whose national anthem, when played before the start of a match, is not that of the current Taliban regime, but the ICC has nothing but that.
Accustomed to adventurous nature, with the hardness of the mountains in their bodies, when the Afghan players come down to play against Australia, their determination and courage may not be easy for the Kangaroos to defeat and another big win will bring joy to the faces of the dying people of Afghanistan. Let the sun rise.
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2024-09-24 16:36:14
