When your team score is 97 for 7, the ultimate total of 212 looks very formidable. It takes a special effort from the players to fight the odds and come up trumps. Afghanistan did just that and in great style. The wandering minstrels of the cricket world achieved victory by beating Scotland in only their third encounter of the International Cricket Council’s World Cup 2015.
What started at the refugee camps of the Northwest Frontier Province in Pakistan in the late 1970s reached a fulfilling, international milestone in the sleepy town of Dunedin, New Zealand. The joy on the faces of a motely crew of their supporters said it all. Afghanistan had finally arrived on the world cricket scene.
Starting at the bottom
One remembers this team, of young spirited individuals, starting their cricketing journey from the bottom of the barrel. My association with Singapore cricket (2007 to 2009) gave me the opportunity to watch the Lions step out of their uncomfortable lair and walk with pride to achieve international recognition in a short span of time.
From participating in Asian Cricket Council tournaments in 2004, the team played in Division 5 of the ICC World Cup qualifiers and in a mere eleven years have made it to the cricket world’s most-followed tournament.
The history of Afghanistan is pockmarked by bullets and violence. The beautiful country has been constantly ravaged by war and peace is the most sought after commodity. Their journey from NWFP (where they played with tennis balls, during the Soviet occupation of their country) to Dunedin is one of grit, determination courage and a never-say-die attitude.
Natural converts
The displaced Afghans took to cricket like a duck to water and infused a new, passionate spirit in the game. Today, cricket is considered a medium to bring peace and harmony in the violence-torn country and when Samiullah Shenwari walked out to receive a much-deserved Man of the Match, millions of his country’s brethren must have been with him in spirit.
The Afghan saga is just like that of the West Indians who took the cricket (and music) route to unite the small island nations that dot the Caribbean to fight for Black Power. The Afghans promoted cricket with the hope that the gentleman’s game will bring together the young people of their country to achieve their goal of peace, harmony and unity.
On a personal level, one met many members of the national side while officiating in ACC’s regional tournaments in Malaysia and Kuwait. They told sordid tales of the conditions in which they played cricket and how they had to negotiate land-mine infested roads and battle tanks to reach the grounds.
Their biggest grouse was they could not host visiting teams and play international matches in front of their home crowd. Their ‘home’ ground, allotted to them by ICC, happens to be in Dambulla, Sri Lanka.
A matter of spirit
By beating Scotland in the ICC World Cup 2015, these wandering minstrels of cricket have taken a big, positive step towards the way the world will view them from now on. Today, the many ethnic tribes viz. Pashtun, Tajik, Hazara, Uzbek, Baloch, et al., will rejoice as one knowing that Afghanistan, the country, has made the rest of the world stand up and take notice.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board Annual Report begins with the following words, written by a fan on the ACB Facebook page: “Cricket is the language of peace and unity in Afghanistan. The performance of our cricket heroes brings a smile to my lips, tears to my eyes, love and passion to my heart and my soul calls out peace and peace!”
With their opponents being at 97 for 7, the Scots could never have imagined losing the match. They did not count on the spirit of the valiant Afghans – one that has taken them to the top echelons of world cricket. For them, chasing 212 was probably the least of the challenges they have faced in their cricketing journey so far.
What started at the refugee camps of the Northwest Frontier Province in Pakistan in the late 1970s reached a fulfilling, international milestone in the sleepy town of Dunedin, New Zealand. The joy on the faces of a motely crew of their supporters said it all. Afghanistan had finally arrived on the world cricket scene.
Starting at the bottom
One remembers this team, of young spirited individuals, starting their cricketing journey from the bottom of the barrel. My association with Singapore cricket (2007 to 2009) gave me the opportunity to watch the Lions step out of their uncomfortable lair and walk with pride to achieve international recognition in a short span of time.
From participating in Asian Cricket Council tournaments in 2004, the team played in Division 5 of the ICC World Cup qualifiers and in a mere eleven years have made it to the cricket world’s most-followed tournament.
The history of Afghanistan is pockmarked by bullets and violence. The beautiful country has been constantly ravaged by war and peace is the most sought after commodity. Their journey from NWFP (where they played with tennis balls, during the Soviet occupation of their country) to Dunedin is one of grit, determination courage and a never-say-die attitude.
Natural converts
The displaced Afghans took to cricket like a duck to water and infused a new, passionate spirit in the game. Today, cricket is considered a medium to bring peace and harmony in the violence-torn country and when Samiullah Shenwari walked out to receive a much-deserved Man of the Match, millions of his country’s brethren must have been with him in spirit.
The Afghan saga is just like that of the West Indians who took the cricket (and music) route to unite the small island nations that dot the Caribbean to fight for Black Power. The Afghans promoted cricket with the hope that the gentleman’s game will bring together the young people of their country to achieve their goal of peace, harmony and unity.
On a personal level, one met many members of the national side while officiating in ACC’s regional tournaments in Malaysia and Kuwait. They told sordid tales of the conditions in which they played cricket and how they had to negotiate land-mine infested roads and battle tanks to reach the grounds.
Their biggest grouse was they could not host visiting teams and play international matches in front of their home crowd. Their ‘home’ ground, allotted to them by ICC, happens to be in Dambulla, Sri Lanka.
A matter of spirit
By beating Scotland in the ICC World Cup 2015, these wandering minstrels of cricket have taken a big, positive step towards the way the world will view them from now on. Today, the many ethnic tribes viz. Pashtun, Tajik, Hazara, Uzbek, Baloch, et al., will rejoice as one knowing that Afghanistan, the country, has made the rest of the world stand up and take notice.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board Annual Report begins with the following words, written by a fan on the ACB Facebook page: “Cricket is the language of peace and unity in Afghanistan. The performance of our cricket heroes brings a smile to my lips, tears to my eyes, love and passion to my heart and my soul calls out peace and peace!”
With their opponents being at 97 for 7, the Scots could never have imagined losing the match. They did not count on the spirit of the valiant Afghans – one that has taken them to the top echelons of world cricket. For them, chasing 212 was probably the least of the challenges they have faced in their cricketing journey so far.
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