Magazine - Cricket Unites Afghanistan

By Editor in Cricket on 19th Aug 2010 19:40

The visitors trudged off the cricket pitch, weary after a hard-fought match. They'd just been soundly beaten by Scotland, but their disappointment was short-lived.

That's because for the losing side this was a whole lot more than just a game of cricket. In war-torn Afghanistan, the national cricket team have become a symbol of hope, uniting the entire country. Even the Taliban are fans.

And the late summer scene being played out in Ayr this week, with its lush grounds, couldn't be more different from the conditions the Afghans face back home.

This squad has literally risen from the ashes of the most dangerous region on the planet. All the players grew up in the mud-hutted, rough Kacha Garhi refugee camp on the Pakistan border.

They had fled there with thousands of their countrymen to escape the brutal Taliban regime. But in that crowded camp they learned to play cricket on waste ground, using lumps of concrete for stumps.

Conditions aren't much better these days - their current ground in Afghan capital Kabul is in the shadow of the Olympic Stadium. Chillingly, it was once used by the Taliban for public executions. But the team don't wallow in self pity and they are dedicated to their sport.

Coach Kabir Khan says: "All my players have had a hard life. They have a lot of toughness and anger. "But these conditions in Scotland are luxury for my players.

"We have only one cricket ground in Kabul. The boundaries are not of international standard as it's a very small pitch. "It's grass, but it's Afghanistan grass and very threadbare.

"We also have no facilities. No training pitch and no top class opposition to train against."

Despite the odds stacked against them, Afghanistan are earning their place amongst the game's elite.

Their remarkable story was even the subject of award-winning documentary Out Of The Ashes, co-produced by Sam Mendes.

Source & Full Article: www.thesun.co.uk

Read more articles in Cricket, by Editor or from August 2010.