Afghanistan Cricket: From Turbulent Beginnings To An Established Cricketing Nation

As the orange sun starts to set over Khurasan, another sweltering, stifling hot day is replaced by the cooler depths of twilight. To many, it would not be in their right mind to challenge the oppressive climates but, for a certain few, it was heaven. With a battered tennis ball and a set of wonky, wooden sticks for stumps, it was to be a new chapter for a country known more for their conflicts than sporting accolades. From the dusty, monotonous refugee camps outside the border city of Peshawar arose the birth of cricket in Afghanistan. No pads nor helmets, it was simple cricket on a dry, gravel wicket which suited them fine, but they wanted more. With the establishment of the Afghanistan Cricket Board in 1995 in Pakistan, at a time when their home country continued to be ravished by war, it acted as a vital distraction from the perils that lied across the border. Now, 26 years later, their cricket boom has restored much of its nation’s pride.

For in excess of 40 years have Afghans sought refuge in the neighbouring country of Pakistan, as, even today, the smattering of bullets continues to echo around the tyrannical nation. ‘The Worst Place To Be Born’, as described by UNICEF in a recent report, should illustrate the dark perils that still absorb the country. With internal intra-state conflicts and prolonged droughts a constant, it comes as little surprise that so many of its inhabitants have been displaced over the recent decades. As millions flocked to the border crossing of Torkham, waving goodbye to treacherous land they once called home, it marked the beginning of a new phase, one that would breathe life into a form of entertainment so vital, so necessary, that it would uplift those who call Afghanistan home, as they try to leave the reminders of war in the past.

It has been a long, tiresome road, too, for Afghanistan’s cricket side to blossom into the Test playing nation it is today. Known for their slogging mentality, it has taken over two decades of playing in almost every tournament around the world to become a seriously discussed cricketing state. They, too, hold the record for the highest ever T20I score; a blistering 278 runs against Ireland in 2019. Humble beginnings have been replaced by genuine excellence. Supreme determination and hunger were required to make it work, as they challenged the Taliban for the right to play, and were unusually given the freedom. In fact, cricket was the only sport exempt in Afghanistan at the turn of the century, owing to their exponential success. "They had extreme eagerness -- more than our players -- and that was the reason for their success”, depicts Faridullah Shah, a coach with the Pakistan Cricket Board, who saw the potential and progress all unfold before him.

From Kuala Lumpur to Jersey, Buenos Aires to Tanzania, it has been a gradual climb of playing in every cricketing tournament as they overcame the seemingly impenetrable bubble of conflict and suffering to have their name alongside the sport’s powerhouses. This interminable ascent was heavily assisted when they were granted ODI status shortly after their disappointment of failing to reach the 2011 World Cup. For four years were they granted this status, and a further tour of the world ensued, as they competed in the Asia Cricket Council Twenty20 Cup, with Kuwait and the Maldives, to name a few, next on the list of opposition. From 2008 to 2013, Afghanistan went from Division Five of the World Cricket League to a Full Associate Member, debuting in the Cricket World Cup just two years later, in 2015.

At the beating heart of the side, Asghar Afghan has been a constant in every format of the game. Someone who, as these very words are written, has just recorded the highest Test total of any Afghan ever, as he heads into Day 2 of the match with Zimbabwe on 106*. Such devotion is seldom seen, there are few who have remained from the initial spine of Afghanistan’s cricket. Such devotion, too, can be observed as one realises that Afghan’s birth surname is Stanikzai, before the switch to his current name just prior to the 2019 World Cup. Mohammed Nabi, Rashid Khan; both colossal names of world cricket, both with humbler backgrounds than almost any other cricketer. There is reason for their Test status grant in 2017. The quality they possess is overwhelming, and the effort applied is nothing short of unforeseen and deeply moving. And all of this has arisen, without ever playing a competitive match inside their own borders.

It is an upsetting realisation for many Afghans that, for the foreseeable future at least, cricket in their home nation will have to wait. With so many displaced in so many countries, it does at least provide Afghans with a sense of live cricket, but not how they dreamt. The 2019 World Cup in England was far from perfection on the field, as they lost all nine matches but, for the thousands of Afghans watching in attendance, the performance was the least of their worries. It is hard to imagine such a life of being in constant danger. Waking up in the morning with the rippling of machine guns outside your front door. Unknowing if you will eat or drink, unknowing if you will survive the day. How proud and euphoric those fans must be, to watch their war-torn country rise from the ashes, as they lock horns with the elite cricket nations. Now, it is neither war nor conflict that flows deep through Afghanistan, but their inspiring passion for cricket which shows little signs of slowing.