Afghanistan and China will be star attractions in the 12-nation Asian Twenty20 Cup which starts in Dubai on November 22.
Afghanistan surprised the world by finishing among the top six in the 2011 World Cup qualifying tournament to gain one-day international status earlier this year, while China will be making their debut in an Asian Twenty20 event.
The tournament serves as a qualifying round for next year's Asian Games and Mazhar Khan, administrator of Emirates Cricket Board, is hoping it will help expand cricket in Asia. "It's great to have China and Afghanistan in the event and a step forward towards promoting the game in Asia."
Sharjah and Abu Dhabi will host the matches from which the top three teams will join Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka for the 2010 Asian Games held in Guangzhou, China. Twenty20 cricket became an Asian Games sport after it was approved by the Olympic Council of Asia in May, a decision that could bring Twenty20 closer to full Olympic status.
Alongside China and Afghanistan, teams from Oman, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Singapore, Qatar, Hong Kong, Nepal, Saudi Arab, Malaysia and Bahrain will compete in the event which runs until November 30.
Khan believes the Cup will also help Asian teams tune up for the World Twenty20 qualifiers to be held in the UAE in February next year.
"These teams will have some good preparations for the World Twenty20 qualifiers from where two teams will get a place in the third World Twenty20 Cup to be held in the West Indies next year.”
An ICC spokesman has criticised players from Afghanistan and Uganda who absconded at the end of the recent ICC Under-19 World Cup Qualifiers in Toronto, and who are believed to be looking to claim asylum in Canada.
Reacting to concerns that the players' action will have a detrimental effect on future tournaments, a spokesman told Cricinfo: "The ICC does not condone the act of players absconding during or after playing in an overseas tournament. Such an action does not benefit anyone: it affects the member from whom the players come as it means it is weaker for subsequent events.
It has emerged that five members of Afghanistan's Under-19 side who were in Toronto to take part in the ICC Under-19 World Cup Qualifier failed to return home with the rest of the squad and may be seeking asylum in Canada.
This news comes days after it was revealed seven of the Uganda U-19 squad had gone missing. They are also believed to be planning to seek asylum.
Reports are confusing, but Pajhwok Afghan News claimed five players and a coach were not among the squad who were given a reception at the presidential palace in Kabul on their return home. The agency went on to say that President Hamid Karzai expressed anger when told of the missing members.
Sources laid the blame on the tour management for failing to keep hold of the squad's passports, making it far easier for them to disappear.
There has been no official comment from the Afghanistan board, although a spokesman speaking off the record insisted the six were not missing and would be returning home soon.
If the Afghanistan and Ugandan players have gone missing with the aim of claiming asylum then it raises doubts about teams from countries which might be considered high-risk regarding the likelihood of individuals taking a similar course of action being granted visas for future events.
Mohammad Shahzad struck his maiden one-day international century to lead Afghanistan to a six-wicket victory against the Netherlands in Amstelveen and level the two-match series at 1-1. Chasing 231, Shahzad ensured that Afghanistan kept pace with the asking-rate and his innings of 110 off 112 balls eventually helped them reach the target with 20 balls to spare.
Unfortunately, a delay with visas has cost Afghanistan their place in the Under-19 World Cup Qualifiers in Toronto. The tournament gets underway tomorrow and there is still a chance Sierra Leone might join Afghanistan on the sidelines, as they too have had visa problems. Here's the full story.
The most talented young players in Associate and Affiliate cricket gather in Toronto this week in an attempt to qualify for the 2010 Under-19 World Cup, staged in New Zealand.
While the opportunity of competing against the best young squads from larger nations, such as Australia and India, is at the forefront of the players' ambitions, the tournament gives them a chance to impress and perhaps even press for a place in the senior team. Ireland's Paul Stirling, a highly regarded left-hander, turns 19 September 3 and displayed his potential during his senior side's three-run defeat to England on Thursday, cracking 30 from 26.
Afghanistan allrounder, Raees Ahmadzai, has said his team's batsmen are looking forward to their debut in the Intercontinental Cup, against Zimbabwe A, starting in Mutare today. The team recently had a 10-day training camp in Kabul, which included a three-day game and two two-day games as part of their preparations for their foray into multi-day cricket at the ICC level.
"Some of the players made hundreds, so we will hopefully do some good in Zimbabwe in the four-day match," Ahmadzai told Cricinfo. He said the team had been busy playing club cricket in Afghanistan and "everyone is in good form."
Afghanistan qualified for the Intercontinental Cup, the ICC's multi-day format competition for its Associate and Affiliate members after finishing fifth in the World Cup Qualifiers in South Africa in April.
A number of important Associate and Affiliate dates have been confirmed by the ICC this past week.
The ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier will take place in the United Arab Emirates from February 9-13, 2010. This eight-team event featuring Associate and Affiliate sides vying for the two places on offer at the ICC World Twenty20 2010 in the West Indies will be played entirely at Dubai Sports City.
September sees the ICC Under-19 World Cup Qualifiers take place in Canada. The event runs from September 1 to 13 in Toronto with 10 teams competing for the six remaining places for the Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand from January 16-30, 2010.
The ICC World Cricket League Division 6 (WCL Div.6) will be held in Singapore from August 29 to September 5 with teams from Singapore, Guernsey, Malaysia, Bahrain, Botswana and Norway battling it out in one group across three venues: Kalang, Singapore CC and Indian Association. The top two teams from WCL Div. 6 will win promotion to Division 5.
WCL Div. 5 has been confirmed to be hosted by Nepal from February 20-27, 2010. The teams include host Nepal, Fiji, Jersey, USA and the two qualifiers from WCL Div. 6.
The summer season of Associate cricket continues to take shape with various announcements about games being arranged.
Afghanistan's first foray into mainstream competition starts in the rather unlikely setting of Mutare where they take on Zimbabwe in a four-day Intercontinental Cup tie starting on August 16. From there the Afghans head to Europe where they meet Netherlands in the same competition starting on August 24 and follow that with their first two stand-alone ODIs on August 30 and September 1.
Kenya, meanwhile, head to Toronto where their Intercontinental Cup tie against Canada starts on August 7 and is followed by three ODIs on August 12, 14 and 16.
On August 17 Scotland's game with Ireland starts, and that is followed by an ODI weekend as two matches are held on August 22 and 23 ahead of Ireland's ODI against England on August 27 and Scotland's against Australia on August 28.
In the new Intercontinental Shield, Bermuda host Uganda in a four-day match starting on August 17 and the two then play a brace of one-day games on August 22 and 23 with a one-off Twenty20 clash on August 24
Afghanistan's first foray into the world of international cricket following the ICC World Cup Qualifiers could happen as soon as the end of July.
Zimbabwe Cricket has confirmed that it is looking at possibly staging its opening four-day match in the 2009-10 Intercontinental Cup at home to Afghanistan on July 30.
Zimbabwe, who will be fielding an A team in the competition, albeit not under that name, will then host a match against Kenya at the start of October.
In April, Matthew Fleming headed to Afghanistan to open cricket pitches and spread the good name of MCC - and, indeed, the sport - among rural communities in the country. It was a triumph, and Leslie Knott - one of the film-makers following Afghanistan's national team - has put up a video of Fleming's tour, which you can see below.
Two Britons, an Afghan and a Swede drive 12 hours to and from a school in Andarab to deliver cricket equipment to the kids. It has been an amazing feat and journey.
We set out on a stunning dawn in Kabul with clear skies and a long road ahead. Ali, our driver, is a splendid character and drove me all around Afghanistan last year. Rotund and jolly and sporting a moustache and a heart warming smile, he is larger than life and a great companion.
We head up towards the Salang (yet again for me) and stop half way up by the river for a picnic breakfast provided by Jorgen, the Swedish Programme Director for SCA. Wonderful breakfast looking up to the snows of the Hindu Kush. Most perfect morning to see the views from the top of the pass stretching for miles along the spines and great for Matthew Fleming to have a first taste of Afghanistan beyond Kabul.
The tunnel seemed longer than ever, with visibility down to a few feet in the three kilometres of Stygian darkness, thick with pollution and choking fumes.
On up towards the north for four hours and then off the tarmac and onto the off-road part of the trip. I didn’t recognise the landscape...there has been so much rain and my last visit was during a drought. The views are so beautiful: valleys stretching for miles, straddling the river and everything is so green. Poppies and wild flowers everywhere, farmers in the fields and intricate networks of irrigation channels all full and criss-crossing their way over the land. Huge bands of the Hindu Kush dominate the horizon.
Ahead, we meet a military ISAF convoy travelling painstakingly slowly and looking wholly out of place in this peaceful, timeless scene. Great armoured vehicles with men armed to the hilt surveying the landscape from the turrets. Huge red signs warn against trying to overtake, so we follow this line along the bumpiest of tracks .None of us can remember how far the school is down this track and as the minutes and hours pass we keep expecting it round every corner...but it never comes.
Then, at last, I recognise the local bazaar and see the school and six-and-a-half hours after we leave Kabul, we finally enter the gates to the school.
It is so worthwhile. The school is Sang Boran and is twinned to Eton College. They have 2000 boys and only 10 classrooms and everywhere the children are outside or in tents studying in the heat of the Andarab noon. Afghan Connection has managed to get two donors to build a school for these boys and the workmen and engineers are hard at work on site. We are greeted with a warm welcome form Nasrullah—my favourite teacher - and the headmaster and other staff. They all say how happy they are in the community and the school that the new buildings are going up and at last they will have a proper school. They say that they are amazed that “a lady from another land” has found the means to build them a school.
We visit all the classes outside and see the new cricket pitch funded by MCC well under construction. Then Matthew is introduced as a famous cricketer from England and we start to hand out all the cricket equipment provided by the Fairstead Trust. Hundreds of children crowd around the vehicle as 15 are chosen to try on all the new kit. Matthew puts the stumps in to the hard ground and a space is cleared and he begins a coaching session. Everywhere I look I see children perched on piles of bricks or hanging out of windows or joining the crowd to watch the scene. Everyone is so happy, most of all me.
The boys play on as we are led to lunch in a tiny room overlooking the hills and mountains in this idyllic spot. Have a wonderful lunch all sitting on the carpet eating kebabs and naan with the teachers and watching on my computer, the film of my last visit...which they love.
We say our goodbyes, conscious that with another 6 hours drive ahead of us, we will not reach Kabul before nightfall.
It has been quite a few days for Matthew, who only arrived after 24-hour flight from London yesterday. He played in the Kabul Cup and then travelled to the remotest parts of Afghanistan to touch it with cricket!
As we come back into Kabul, there is a dust storm and the winds sweep across the Shomali plain. The distant hills come alive with light as the lightning strikes to the East. Tiny stalls line the route with little swinging lamps and the streets are alive and full of stall holders selling their wares. A car with a bemused looking goat strapped to the roof overtakes us. Ungainly wedding halls are lit up like great ships in the night and as we drive through this scene of a chaotic evening, which is so vibrant. Ali tells us how it was under the Taliban: no electricity, no music, no thriving businesses, no joy.
But we have seen so much joy today and perhaps we may one day see an Afghan cricketer who heralded from Sang Boran and was inspired by some English cricketer who chanced to call at his school.
Sarah Fane is chairman of the charity Afghan Connection with whom MCC work to provide cricket equipment in Afghanistan. Matthew Fleming is the former Kent and England allrounder now working for MCC.
Additional reporting by Will Luke. For more on Afghanistan’s rise, see their homepage
Afghanistan's cricketing fairytale just keeping rolling along, and in front of hundreds of supporters they beat Nepal to reach the final of the ACC U-19 Elite Cup. To put the result into context, Nepal have won every staging of this tournament since 2000, and until yesterday's loss to Hong Kong, had not lost an U-19 match in all that time.
Nepal batted on winning the toss, but while the first two overs produced 23 runs, two wickets fell and thereafter the innings struggled for any momentum. Only Prithu Baskota looked to take the attack to the bowlers, hammering three sixes on his way to 81. Some late hitting helped Nepal to 186 for 8, with 73 coming off the last ten overs after they had been 113 for 6.
Afghanistan also wobbled early on, and at 54 for 3 in the 16th over, Nepal appeared to be back on track. But Man of the Match Aimal Wafa (61*) and Asgher Hotak (478) came together at 84 for 4 and not only consolidated but also kept up with the required rate, adding an unbeaten 106 for the fifth wicket to see their side home.
There was less drama in the other semi-final where Hong Kong beat Qatar by 23 runs, despite only making 161 themselves.
Nepal and Afghanistan made it two wins out of two on the second day of the ACC Under-19 Elite Cup in Kuwait.
Nepal’s win was against Malaysia, one of the pre-tournament favourites, and it extended their winning run against them to seven matches. Malaysia batted on winning the toss and scored 203, built around 90 from Keithan. Gyanendra Malla, Nepal’s captain, made 86 not out as they passed the target with six wickets in hand.
Afghanistan dismissed Oman for 188 (their last five wickets fell for 20) and then cruised to an eight-wicket win as Iqbal Maliki (86)and Noor ul Haq (79) put on 157 for the first wicket.
Hong Kong opened their account with a four-wicket win over Singapore who they bowled out for 124, aided by no fewer than five run-outs. Jamie Atkinson, who made his first-class debut for Durham UCCE earlier this month, hit 61 to spearhead the chase.
Pre-tournament favourites Malaysia and Nepal cruised to easy wins on the opening day of the ten-team ACC Under-19 Elite Cup in Kuwait. Afghanistan, whose senior side were the success story of the recent ICC World Cup Qualifiers, also got off to a flying start, but there was a surprise defeat for UAE.
Malaysia eased to a five-wicket win with more than ten overs to spare over Singapore after bowling them out for 183, Prem Dadlani providing the bulk of Singapore’s run with 96.
Nepal had more trouble in beating Saudi Arabia, and they had Amrit Bhattarai to thank as his 82 helped them to 233 after they had slipped to 76 for 7. That was too much for the Saudis who were bowled out for 96.
Afghanistan thrashed Bhutan by eight wickets after bowling them out for 63, ambling home in 13 overs.
UAE were bundled to a two-wicket defeat by Qatar after being bowled out for 164.
As the dust settles on the ICC World Cup Qualifiers – aside from Sunday’s rather pointless play-offs – we highlight what each team comes away from South Africa with.
Qualification for the 2011 World Cup Canada, Ireland, Kenya, Netherlands
ODI status for four years Afghanistan, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, Netherlands, Scotland
Afghanistan will begin their bid to secure a place in the 2011 World Cup by taking on Denmark in the opening game of the World Cup Qualifiers on April 1. It is the first of their five matches and upcoming opponents include Bermuda, Kenya, Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates.
If Afghanistan finish among the top four in Group B, they will progress to the Super Eights stage and, if they are among the top four at the end of the tournament, they will qualify for the World Cup
"Denmark is a must-win match because it would leave us needing one more victory to reach the Super Eights phase," Afghanistan coach Kabir Khan told AFP. "Afghanistan have progressed by leaps and bounds and, if we play to our potential, qualification for the World Cup is possible. Being a largely unknown cricket entity can only help us.
"We have not played much cricket at international level so other teams do not know much about us, but we know a lot about them, especially the United Arab Emirates as I coached them for two years.”
Regardless of what happens at next month's World Cup Qualifiers (WCQs), Afghanistan will play against at least of two of Asia's Test nations in 2010, when cricket makes its debut the South Asian Games next year in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
The matches, to be played according to the Twenty20 format, will be contested by under-21 teams from Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
Afghanistan have approached the former Pakistan captain Javed Miandad to help them qualify for the 2011 World Cup in the subcontinent. The team won the World Cricket League (WCL) Division 3 tournament in Argentina in January and booked their place in the World Cup qualifiers in South Africa this April.
Miandad quit as director general of the Pakistan Cricket Board last month and he's set to go to China in March as a cricket ambassador.
"I have been approached and since I greatly appreciate their rise in international cricket, I will definitely go there and help them get a place in the World Cup," Miandad told AFP. "Pakistan has always supported Afghanistan. Their team practiced in Lahore before they went to Argentina and as a Pakistan cricket official I did what I could do to help them.”
Afghanistan’s rise is remarkable for a war-ravaged nation and it’s no surprise they are a rage among the minnows. Pakistan have played a significant part in their growth, providing them training and equipment, something their own government failed to do. The team, which came together only in 2002, also won Divisions 4 and 5 in the WCL.
Afghanistan need to make it to the semi-finals in South Africa to ensure a place at the World Cup. Their first game is against Denmark on April 1 at Vanderbijlpark.
Afghanistan's victorious cricketers, who were the toast of Kabul on Tuesday, realise they will have to meet greater challenges in order to qualify for the 2011 World Cup. The team, whose top-place finish at the ICC World Cricket League Division 3 in Argentina earned them a spot at the World Cup Qualifiers in April, was greeted by enthusiastic fans on their return to Kabul, and even had a small parade through the city. However, the lack of financial backing remains a worry.
Afghanistan's winning the World Cricket League Division Three title in Argentina may have sparked euphoria throughout the country but the team are reported to be less than impressed by the reception on their arrival in Kabul. “We were very disappointed that there was no cabinet minister, vice president or president to welcome us home following our extraordinary achievement,” batsman Raees Ahmadzai told BBC. "It shows that they don't like cricket or our team. But we couldn't believe it when we saw people dancing and cheering in the cold weather.''
Another team member absolved President Hamid Karzai - "a big supporter" - of any blame but said ministers should have been present. "This is a big achievement for Afghanistan. But our victory and team belongs to the Afghan people not to ministers.''
A cabinet minister contacted by the BBC said what happened was "regrettable" and that official engagements had prevented them from attending.
It is hard to describe how excited I am at Afghanistan reaching the World Cup Qualifiers. When I think that we came so close to being defeated by Cayman Islands on Friday and getting knocked out, I still can’t believe that the rain saved us from defeat!
Thankfully the performance on Saturday was much better and we finally made some runs in this tournament, before Mohammad Nabi and I shared most of the wickets when we were bowling.
When the game finished we still didn’t know where we had finished in the table and then somebody came over to tell our manager that we were the Division 3 Champions and we just started jumping around in our changing room and singing!
We then travelled to Belgrano, which is the main ground in Argentina, where there were still lots of people waiting to see the presentation despite the fact the game at that ground had finished over one hour earlier. We got a really nice round of applause and then we were presented with the trophy. I had lots of television interviews to do before I could join my team mates in the celebrations!
I am about to fly back to Afghanistan tonight from Buenos Aires Airport, but it is such a long journey we will not get back home until Tuesday. There will be lots of people waiting for us in Kabul and I am very excited about seeing them. When we won Division 4 in Tanzania there were lots of people at the airport so, as we have won Division 3, there will be even more people there, blocking the roads and celebrating by banging drums.
I really enjoy the celebrations as we have such great fans. The people in Afghanistan pray for us and are waiting for the trophy to come home so we can all celebrate together.
After the celebrations in Kabul, I will go home to Peshawar for a couple of days and then head to play first-class cricket in Pakistan. We then will have a training camp in early March, which will hopefully help our preparations ahead of the Qualifiers. We had a camp in Lahore before this tournament, where I was coached by some of the greats of the game, and I hope I will be able to learn a lot more about the physical and mental side of the game.
We are all really excited about the challenge of playing against the best Associate teams. We know that we have to improve on our batting as I think we are capable of doing much better. We have proved in Division 3, 4 and 5 of the World Cricket League that we have a great bowling attack and that is our strength, but we need to start scoring at least 200 runs as it will be harder against the stronger teams. I think our batters have the talent to score at least 250.
It will be amazing playing against some of the top Associate teams that I have watched play on television at previous World Cups, but we will remember if Ireland can beat Pakistan and Kenya can get to the semi-finals of the 2003 World Cup, then we can also cause some surprises. If I have learnt anything from the game against the Cayman Islands, it is that anything can happen in cricket!
I am looking forward to playing against people like Steve Tikolo from Kenya and Jeremy Bray from Ireland and we will be really happy to have the chance to play against such good players.
Finally, I would like to thank everybody who has read my column this week and for all of the messages. All the team used to gather around the computer in the evenings to read all of the comments from fans and all of the messages of encouragement were a real inspiration for us.
I hope you will continue to support us and bring us luck at the World Cup Qualifier as we are all desperate to play ODI cricket and reach 2011.
Papua New Guinea won their third match in a row, defeating Uganda by 26 runs at Belgrano while Afghanistan beat the hosts, Argentina, on the third day of the World Cricket League. Hong Kong handed Cayman Islands its third straight defeat, too. Click here for the round-up.
We are all so relieved that we managed to beat Hong Kong on Sunday to get ourselves back into the tournament and give us a chance of getting a place in the World Cup Qualifiers.
Our matches against Hong Kong are always very close and it was another tense finish; I was praying after every ball towards the end that we would be able to take the final wicket. It was such a relief when we finally got out Nadeem Ahmed. I was thinking in the field of all the people back in Afghanistan who would be praying for us to do well and that was a real inspiration as well for the team.
The first game against Uganda was very disappointing, as we didn’t bat very well, even though we did almost end up winning the game in the end after Rais’s fantastic innings.
When I went into bat and we still needed 30 to win, I didn’t really think I had that much chance of winning the match but I gave it my best effort.
I don’t feel that I have bowled as well as I could have during the course of this tournament. I injured myself a couple of months ago and couldn’t bowl as many overs as I would have liked in the build-up to this event. However, against Hong Kong I finally felt like that I am beginning to find my rhythm and I am hoping that I will be able to bowl at full pace today.
I managed to cut out my no-balls and bowl a much better line and length and I enjoyed the bouncy Belgrano wicket.
Everybody is asking me why I am not bowling my yorkers in this tournament, which worked well for me in Division 4, but I don’t want to bowl them at the moment as I don’t want to over pitch and get hit for six.
The level of interest back at home is amazing and I am getting e-mails and phone calls all the time from people in Afghanistan. I have been told that on the television at home, all the news bulletins have the score update on the screen every minute to keep everybody updated. Some of the radio shows also update the scores all the time, while I know my family follow the scores on the internet.
I have really enjoyed Argentina and the people in Buenos Aires have been extremely hospitable to us. I don’t think that many of them have ever met anybody from Afghanistan before and because I speak good English I have had to do lots of television interviews, although I think I will need to learn some more Spanish!
If we manage to get promoted from Division 3, I want to go back to the market that we went to on the tournament rest day and buy some things to celebrate. I am confident we can win our final three matches and it would be very exciting if we can reach the World Cup Qualifiers. I don’t want to look too much further ahead than that at the moment and instead just concentrate on doing well in Argentina.
Afghanistan, sentimental favourites for this month's World Cricket League Division 3 tournament, are currently mingling with some famous names at their training camp in Lahore.
Leading batsman, Raees Ahmadzai, told Cricinfo this week that Shoaib Akhtar, Aamir Sohail, Rashid Latif, Ijaz Ahmed and Aaqib Javed, were amongst those providing guidance to the Afghans during the two week camp which finishes this Saturday.
Ahmadzai said the team had enjoyed the camp and the chance to tap into the expert knowledge of their mentors.
"We have discussed a lot of cricket,”Ahmadzai said. “Now the players are very relaxed, They feel better and look like complete cricketers. We worked a lot on temperament in camp. Our fast bowlers worked on how to control the new ball and batsmen on how we make partnerships to chase big targets."
Ahmadzai said the players were well rewarded after winning the WCL Division 4 title last year.
"The Governor of Ningrahar Province [in the country's east] gave all the players land for houses."
During their march along the World Cricket League, Afghanistan won the Division 4 and Division 5 tournaments, playing 12 games, winning 10 and losing just one. They were unbeaten in the stronger Division 4 tournament. Standing in its way in Division 3 are Argentina, Cayman Islands, Hong Kong, Papua New Guinea and Uganda, whom Afghanistan plays in its first match on January 24.
The schedule for the ICC World Cricket League Division 3 which takes place in Argentina next month has been announced. The two finalists will progress to the ICC World Cup Qualifiers in South Africa in April.
The victorious Afghanistan players were treated like national heroes on their return to Kabul this week fresh from their win in the World Cricket League Division 4 tournament in Tanzania.
"As a lot of people are following us going to the World Cup," said Basheer Stanekzai, the Afghanistan Cricket Federation's general manager marketing and the assistant manager of the national team.
"We had a large media coverage when we arrived to Kabul - three TV channels telecast live from airport, we were welcomed by cabinet ministers, members of parliament and members of the National Olympic Committee."
The ACF already has plans for two camps as part of its preparations for the Division 3 tournament in Argentina in January.
The first camp will be held in Peshawar, Pakistan, and from a pool of 25 players, the final squad of 14 for Argentina will be selected.
Stanekzai said it was hoped the final squad would then assemble for a month-long camp in India as an acclimatisation method.
"As the weather in Argentina will be warm, we are looking at a warm place in India."
Should Afghanistan reach the final of the Division 3 tournament it would then proceed to the World Cup Qualifiers in South Africa in April.
During their march along the World Cricket League, Afghanistan won the Division 4 and Division 5 tournaments, playing 12 games, winning 10, losing just the one. They were unbeaten in the stronger Division 4 tournament.
Standing in its way in Division 3 are Argentina, the Cayman Islands, Hong Kong, Papua New Guinea and Uganda.
Hamid Hassan, Afghanistan’s fast bowler, on taking a step nearer to the 2011 World Cup.
It would be the best moment of my life if I get to play at the World Cup and I am so happy I have taken a step closer to realising that dream today.
There was a lot of pressure on us ahead of the game against Italy, as we knew that if we lost the game we wouldn’t get promoted from Division 4. We played extremely well today and I am proud of the team and very grateful to all the help and support that our coach Kabir Khan has provided us.
My role in the Afghanistan team at this tournament is to come on after the opening bowlers have finished their spell.
I quite like the fact teams think that they have faced all the Afghanistan fast bowlers and then I come on to bowl even faster.
Afghanistan have made only minor changes for the ICC World Cricket League Division Four tournament to be played in Tanzania from October 4 to 11. Afghanistan, along with the winner, Jersey, have been promoted from Division Five, and will join the host, Hong Kong, Fiji and Italy.
Nasratullah Nasrat, Shafiqullah Shafaq, Shahpur Zadran have come into the squad, which was runners-up in the Division Five tournament in Jersey recently, replacing Jalat Khan Naseri, Abdul Rashid Zadran and Gulbadin Naid.
Squad: Norooz Khan Mangal (capt), Karim Khan Sedeq, Rais Ahamdzai, Dawlat Ahamdzai, Ahamd Shah Ahmadi, Noor Ali Noori, Mohammad Asghar Stanikzai, Hasti Gul Abed, Mohd. Nabi Eisakhil, Samiullah Shenwari, Hamid Hassan, Nasratullah Nasrat, Shafiqullah Shafaq, Shahpur Zadran. Coach: Mohammad Kabir
Next week's ICC annual get-together promises to have more than its fair share of politicking, posturing and controversy. But, unless there is a major about-turn, it should also be a watershed for the Associates and Affiliates.
In 2009, income from the ICC's six-year media deal with ESPN-Star, worth over US$1 billion, kicks in, and while the game's big boys will still keep the lion's share, the rest will see substantial increases in their incomes.
Hamid Karzai, the president of Afghanistan, added his voice to those of exuberant cricket fans welcoming Afghanistan's young team home Monday after they stayed on course for possible qualification for the 2011 World Cup.
The team was met at the airport in Kabul by sporting officials and a small throng of supporters who presented them with garlands before leading them through the city in a noisy, flag-waving cavalcade.
More fans waited at the stadium, famous for its Taliban-era executions, but the numbers were limited for security reasons, one cricketing official said, with the threat of extremist attacks ever-present in Afghanistan.
In a statement, Karzai described the team and their achievement in winning the final of the World Cricket League Division 5 in Jersey as "a source of pride and honour for Afghanistan.
"With this victory, the national cricket team of Afghanistan showed that despite years-long war and financial problems, Afghans can achieve many glories.”
Karzai's government is battling to rebuild Afghanistan after decades of war but faces a growing Taliban-led insurgency, booming narcotics trade and corruption undermining morale.
Success at the tournament means Afghanistan, along with Jersey, will compete in the ICC World Cricket League division four in October, taking them one step further along the road to possible World Cup qualification.
Following their qualification into Division 4 of the World Cricket League yesterday, Afghanistan marked a memorable week by winning Division 5 of the competition, beating the hosts Jersey in a thrilling two-wicket final.
A fine all-round performance from Hasti Gul guided Afghanistan to the World Cricket League Division 5 title, with a tense two-wicket victory, in a low-scoring thriller against hosts Jersey. Gul hit an unbeaten 29, as Afghanistan slumped to 62 for 8 chasing just 81 for victory, to follow his three wickets.
Jersey were bundled out in less than 40 overs, but didn't give up the chance of claiming a trophy in front of their home crowd without a real fight. Ryan Driver, the former Lancashire and Worcestershire batsman, took four wickets with his medium-pace. However, Gul didn't take a backward step and launched the only two sixes of the match - over long-on and deep square-leg - to take Afghanistan within touching distance.
Cricinfo has learned that the Afro-Asia Cup, which was reported to have been quietly sidelined after the 2007 event in Bangalore, has been revived.
Plans had been discussed whereby the existing Asia Cup, which takes place in Pakistan next month, would be supplemented with an African Cup. The winners of the two tournaments would then play off in an Afro-Asia final.
However, the packed international schedule meant that it was too difficult to find room for the African competition in 2008 and so a competition using the old three-ODI format will be held in Kenya during 2009.
Although the event has raised valuable funds for the African Cricket Association and the Asian Cricket Council, it has been less than a hit with audiences and has struggled to find a niche in the calendar. Despite the best intentions of the two associations, the weight of cricket means that it is still by no means certain to proceed.
Not have the ICC cut the number of Associates at the next World Cup from six to four at the behest of the hosts, but the Asian Cricket Council hopes that two of those slots will be taken by Asian counties.
"India beating Australia is very good for cricket in Asia and will encourage nations like Bangladesh, United Arab Emirates, China and Afghanistan," Ashraful Huq, a former secretary of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, told AFP. "I watched both the finals in Australia and was amazed how the young Indian team paid the Australians back, both on and off the field."
The number of people actively participating in cricket outside the Test-playing countries increased 17% in 2007, according to the ICC.
The research, carried out by the ICC's development program, was collated from 33 Associate and 58 Affiliate members. It showed that there were 338,051 male and female players in those countries in 2007, an increase of 49,158 on the previous year. Since 2002, when there were 144,047 participants, there has been a 135% rise.
Afghanistan cricket has been boosted by their success in last November’s ACC Twenty20 Cup where they finished joint winners. More than US$23,000 was donated by the president and local businesses and in addition US$40,000 was given by Afghans in Kuwait, where the tournament was played. The government also promised to give land to each member of the victorious squad. More significantly, the education minister has pledged to build a ground in Kabul for school cricket.
Taj Malik, the Afghanistan Cricket Federations's secretary general, said: "There are so many other awards, medals, cash prizes, gifts , free mobile phones, watches, certificates, it was very useful for Afghan cricket. Now cricket is flying high in Afghanistan."
Singapore defeated Kuwait by six wickets to win the ACC Under-15 Elite Cup in Bhaktapur, Nepal. It was, however, a slightly hollow victory, as eight of the ten competing sides had earlier been disqualified for fielding over-age players, and so Singapore and Kuwait contested the final as they were the only teams remaining in the competition.
The Asian Cricket Council had taken drastic action on Saturday and kicked out hosts and defending champions Nepal as well as Afghanistan, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Malaysia, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Thailand after its medical board reported that all the squads from those countries contained players over the stipulated age limit. Sunday's semi-finals - Nepal v Singapore and Afghanistan v Hong Kong - were scrapped.
The Daily Telegraph’s Tom Coghlan reports from Kabul on how cricket is taking a hold in Afghanistan, so much so that he says it is becoming a national obsession.
Cricket has seized the popular imagination in Afghanistan since 2001, a country where the game was unknown until waves of refugees fleeing 30 years of fighting picked it up in camps along the Pakistan border. Earlier this month Afghanistan's fledgling national side came from nowhere to win the Asia Cricket Council's Twenty20 Cup in Kuwait.
Bolstered by that success, the Afghan Cricket Federation is moving to gain entry to the next ICC World Twenty20.
Subtleties of guile and tactic have yet to take hold in the Afghan game, which seems to appeal more to the famously warlike Afghan temperament. Defensive shots are regarded with disdain.
"This is like being in Helmand," muttered an onlooker at the training session, ducking for cover as a ball winged overhead with the trajectory of a tracer bullet, the first in a sustained bombardment.
Shahzada Masood, Afgahnistan’s cricket chief, has told Reuters that if his country had half the facilities available to other teams then nobody would be able to beat them.
Matthew Fleming, the former Kent and England allrounder, will travel to Afghanistan this week to try to identify ways in which Marylebone Cricket Club can help to further develop the sport in the region.
Fleming, who sits on the main MCC Committee, is being sent by the club to investigate how MCC can strengthen its links with cricket in Afghanistan in accordance with its worldwide remit to help promote the game.
The MCC-Afghanistan relationship began with an historic fixture between the two sides in Mumbai in March 2006, where an MCC team led by former England captain, Mike Gatting, were thrashed by 179 runs. Two members of that successful Afghan team - Hamid Hassan and Mohammad Nabi - subsequently spent time at Lord's as MCC Young Cricketers. In 2007, Hassan - a fast bowler - made history when he became the first Afghan cricketer to play at Lord's, for MCC against Europe.
Speaking ahead of his trip, Fleming said: "Having enjoyed playing cricket for England in Pakistan and Bangladesh, I know the passion that exists for cricket in the region. I'm looking forward to seeing for myself how cricket in Afghanistan is developing, and how MCC can help with this process.
"With my experience in the Armed Forces [he served as an officer in the Royal Green Jackets], I am all too aware of the effects a conflict has on a country's people. If the sport can help to become a positive, motivating factor for the increasingly cricket-loving population of Afghanistan, that can only be a good thing."
MCC's secretary & chief executive, Keith Bradshaw, said: "Developing cricket worldwide is a core remit of MCC, and it's one we take very seriously. Matthew is the perfect ambassador for us to send out to Afghanistan. With his knowledge of the region, and of course his cricketing experience, he'll be able to investigate the ways in which the club can demonstrably help to develop cricket in the country."
Fleming's visit to Afghanistan has been co-ordinated by Nick Lockwood, Counter Narcotics and Rule of Law, at the British Embassy in Kabul. The four-day trip will culminate on Sunday, November 18, with a visit to the National Training Camp at the Afghanistan National Cricket Academy.
The sport's popularity in Afghanistan has surged since many of the refugees who fled from the country in the early 1980s, after the Soviet invasion, started to return from Pakistan - where they saw the game and started to play and follow it.
The BBC have an in-depth report on cricket in Afghanistan where the sport's popularity continues to thrive, in spite of the lack of money available for pitches, grounds and so forth.
No wonder many boys begin playing only to discover that it is difficult to make a living from the game.
"We have lost a lot of boys because of lack of money. Still there is no let-up in enthusiasm," says Taj Malik, the coach of the national team.
Cricket is now being played in 28 of the country's 34 provinces, up from four provinces during Taleban rule. There are some 12,000 registered cricketers playing at various levels.
At this rate, cricket, say experts, is on its way to overtaking football and buzkashi - a sport in which competitors on horseback drag a dead calf over a scoreline - as the most popular sport in the country.
Nepal have qualified for next year's Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia after defeating a spirited Afghanistan side by 48 runs in the final of the Asian Cricket Council Under-19 Elite Cup at the Kinrara Oval. Nepal successfully defended a modest of 172 to bowl out Afghanistan, who lost their last four wickets for three runs in 11 balls.
The tournament also served as the Asian qualifier and by virtue of winning it, Nepal joined Papua New Guinea (from the East Asia-Pacific region), Ireland (from the Europe region), Bermuda (from the Americas region), the ICC's 10 Full Members and hosts Malaysia at the 16-team World Cup to be played from February 17 to March 2, 2008.
Jersey will host the ICC World Cricket League Division 5 (WCL Div. 5) tournament in 2008.
The ICC’s decision follows a recent visit to the island by a development team to inspect the country’s suitability for promotion to Associate membership, which will be voted on at the ICC Annual Conference at Lord's in June.
Seven bowlers each from Afghanistan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Nepal and the UAE will be sent to the MRF Pace Foundation, run by Dennis Lillee, ahead of the 2007 and 2008 World Cricket League.
"It is the ACC's intention that these teams do well in the World Cricket League and the MRF camp in Chennai is to prepare the five qualifiers for World Cup qualification. An invitation was extended to the Malaysian Under-19 squad to train at MRF as they have pre-qualified for the 2008 U-19 World Cup next February and can benefit from the opportunity to train from this year," says ACC Development Manager Sultan Rana.
Afghanistan and Norway might be in the lower echelons of the World Cricket League (WCL), but that isn't stopping either country aiming big. They want to play in the 2011 World Cup.
Is this a pipe dream or a genuine belief that, in four years' time, they will be able to compete with Full Member nations? Before they can even think about the World Cup, promotion from Division Five is a must. Read the full story at Cricinfo.
What are your thoughts? Does cricket need any more fledgling nations? Should the ICC increase funding to these minor nations? Leave your feedback in the comments below.
It won't get many column inches in the mainstream cricket press, but the World Cricket League, which started in Nairobi yesterday and continues into next week, features the best of the rest, the six sides just under the ten Test-playing countries. For the two finalists, the rewards are bountiful - a place among the big boys in the inaugural Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa this September, along with $250,000. For countries used to surviving on annual handouts from the ICC of less than $200,000, that's big money.
Bangladesh intends including cricket as a new event when it hosts the 11th South Asian Games in 2008. Eight nations - Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka - are expected to participate in the biennial meeting.
According to CricketEurope, the ICC will expand the World Cricket League to five divisions:
The leading five European nations have already won places in the first three divisions: World Cup qualifiers Ireland, The Netherlands and Scotland in Division 1 (which will take place in Kenya in January-February next year), Denmark in Division 2 (planned for Namibia in November 2007), and Italy in Division 3 (planned to take place in the USA in summer 2007).
But with an eight-team Division 5 tournament now planned for the first half of 2008, five places in which are assigned to the next ranked country in each region, Norway are guaranteed a slot, along with Afghanistan, Argentina, Botswana and the Cook Islands.
The three remaining places will be allocated by the ICC Development Committee when it meets in December, and those allocations will be based on the rankings of the next group of countries. This means that Jersey, runners-up to Norway in this year’s European Second Division tournament, and possibly even Germany, who finished third, will be competing with The Bahamas, Panama, Nepal, Singapore, Mozambique, Zambia and Japan for those last three positions.
Cricinfo's own Andrew Miller visited Sandhurst to watch the touring Afghanistan national side in action:
This was a match-up that few could have envisaged. The future leaders of the British Army, many of whom could soon be serving in Afghanistan itself as the military operation in Helmand is stepped up, versus the pioneers of a sport learned in exile in Pakistan and carried back home with enthusiasm after the fall of the Taliban regime.
It was never a close contest, but in the spirit of past tussles between the two nations, neither side gave an inch until the final run had been scored, whereupon the Last Post was sounded and the Academy's standard was lowered from the flag-pole outside the pavilion.
"The Afghanistan team will not be a joke. Our players have completed a 15-day training camp. They are ready to compete. All the Afghans in London are very keen and are waiting for the team."
The Afghanistan Cricket Foundation was only set up in 1995 in part as an effort to persuade young men involved in the civil war raging at the time to "pick up the ball and put down the gun," said one of the founders, Allah Dad Noori.
"When I saw the situation of my country, all the suffering, I thought, 'What can I do?'. At first they were not interested in the game but slowly, slowly you catch the monkey. I have seen people leave fighting and come and play cricket."
"This year is very important for our cricket,” Taj Malik Alam, their coach, told the BBC. "I think it will be a turning point and if we win all the matches then we can get the attention of the international cricket community. We have a long way to go but we really want to participate in the World Cup and become one of the best teams in the world."
MCC is recruiting two young cricketers from Afghanistan. Their talent was spotted when they played key roles in steering their country to its 171-run victory over the Club in the historic MCC v Afghanistan match, played in late March, in Mumbai.
Mohammed Nabi hit an undefeated century – 116 not out – against the MCC attack, while Hamid Hassan impressed MCC’s batsmen (who included Mike Gatting) with the skill, aggression and pace of his bowling. Mohammed and Hamid will join MCC in mid-season and then play for the Club in another landmark match – the first-ever MCC v. Europe match – in the Netherlands in June.
They will subsequently join the ranks of the MCC Young Cricketers at Lord’s and receive expert guidance from the Club’s coaching staff, which is headed by Clive Radley
Mumbai was the setting for some memorable scenes on Wednesday and there was another notable occasion today. Hafti Gulabid, a fast bowler from Jalalabad, claimed the prize wicket of Mike Gatting for a duck as an ">Afghanistan side won their first ever match against MCC. Gatting took it all in his stride.
"I got a decent ball. This isn't a game you just go out and play. If you don't have practice you don't do as well as you should."
The Pajhwok Afjhan News reports that the lack of proper playing areas, and pitches, is the main impediment for the promotion of cricket in Afghanistan. This problem is dramatically highlighted in the picture on the right (click here to see the full-size version, and here for another photo), where a group of cricket fans can be seen playing a game on a concrete wasteland, in front of a destroyed helicopter.
This was observed by Iqbal Sikandar, official of the Asian Cricket Federation, in an interview with Pajhwok Afghan News the other day.
He said Afghanistan had a lot of talent and if certain problems faced by the players were addressed, they would be able to join the international level games in the coming 10 years.
He said his stay in Afghanistan was meant to review the situation and find areas where the Asian Cricket Federation could help in promotion of the game here.
Expressing surprise over the promotion of cricket in Afghanistan, Sikandar said he never presumed such a development. He said cricket is the most popular game in Afghanistan.
He said in order to promote the game, there must be an international standard playground. But it is a pity that there was not even a simple ground in Afghanistan, he added.
One day in August 2001, during an inter-provincial tournament in Kabul, the Taliban's vice and virtue police turned up at a game in their 4x4 pick-up vehicles and some other cars surrounded the ground. We had forgotten to go to prayer. All the players and spectators were dispersed. Some people were arrested, including two players. They were imprisoned for about a week and missed the rest of the matches.
On another occasion, the then president of the Afghanistan Olympic Committee, Maulawi Qalamuddin, told us that the Taliban Grand Council wanted to ban cricket, which they considered to be an American game. We managed to convince the Taliban that cricket was not American and that it was in fact very similar to thope danda.
Cricket in Afghanistan is on the up. Though the fundamentalist Taliban banned all sports during its seven-year rule, more that 300 cricket clubs have sprung up all over the country during the last three years with the return of democracy.
President Hamid Karzai is a great cricket fan and watches the game whenever he finds time. He has promised a Toyota vehicle each to the team members if they are able to beat Pakistan. But our most cherished dream is to play against India
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