“We don’t mind losing, but we are determined to fight till the last gasp,” assert three young Afghani cricket fans in unison when asked about their team’s fortunes in the ICC World Cup 2019. It may sound cliched, but to people of this war-torn country, fighting is a metaphor for life.
Amir Sadran is a student in London. He, along with his friends Bilal Ali and Muhammed Shafeek, who came all the way from Kabul to watch cricket’s showpiece event, were trying their luck at a counter at the Oval ground to get their hands on the tickets for Afghanistan’s matches.
The Oval cricket ground is being spruced up for the inaugural match between England and South Africa on Thursday. But Afghan fans far outnumber most other fans including their English counterparts and are making their presence felt at their country’s warm-up matches by carrying large flags and banners and through vociferous chants and songs.
“Practice games or main draw, we just want to watch our team playing. Hope you are aware that Afghanistan have beaten Pakistan in a warm-up tie, Bilal quipped. Yes, Afghanistan have earned the right to be taken more seriously at their second World Cup.
With each passing second, more and more cricket-crazy Afghans were seen thronging to the Oval. Among them were hundreds of students from colleges across the UK. They were waving, singing and clapping to drum beats, and proudly sporting the national flag drawn on their faces. A mother calmly walking up to the ticket counter carrying her infant was an incredible sight.
When asked about Afghanistan’s chances against England, one of the hot favourites to win the title, Amir exuded confidence that the team can go all the way. According to him, this World Cup offers his country an opportunity to make a bigger impression on the global stage.
“Afghanistan is a team on the rise. Cricket became popular in our country only during the last 10-12 years. To be honest, many of our countrymen back home know nothing about cricket. A fair share of the credit should go to the likes of Mohammed Nabi and Rashid Khan for popularising cricket in Afghanistan. No doubt, the game is growing in the country especially in the rural areas. The popularity of the Indian Premier League is on the rise every year. Indian players like Dhoni and Kohli have a huge fan following in Afghanistan,” Amir says.
Bilal revealed that there is a 10-year-old cricket prodigy from Kabul who is widely tipped to be one of the game's future stars. “He could be the perfect successor to Rashid Khan. I don’t want to disclose his identity. Mark my words: he will make the world sit up and take note of him in the days to come.”
Hope his prophecy comes true!
