Afghanistan cricket struggling to rise “Out of the Ashes”- Part II
The Associate team of ICC takes the world by storm as they secure a place in the World Twenty20 Cup even though they narrowly failed to qualify for the World Cup 2011.
As the team members pack their bags and little gifts for their families back home, they ponder how the country would receive them, would they even know what they have done? But the resounding applause that the team gets when they return to Kabul; the capital
of Afghanistan, leaves them dumbfounded. Men wearing baggy shalwar kameez and unshaven chins with guns in their hands line up throughout the route that the open bus carrying the team would be travelling.
The parade is especially organized by the official governing body of cricket in the country, the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Hamid-c61327 Karzai acting as the patron-in-chief of the board. The men hail the national heroes
by shooting in the air and celebrate their achievement. The city’s streets are lit up, rather strangely, as it is late into the night. The dead city of Kabul is engulfed in a blast -no pun intended- with some men burning deodorant bottles to create flares
in the star-less sky.
The documentary ends at a high with the viewers feeling a fuzzy feeling as the players become our friends; we share all the unversed emotions of not only the players but the people who support the sport. It unites the country beyond imagination and you want
to know what happens next.
It is just the beginning of the sport in the country. The game of cricket has generated huge interest amongst the young players, and it is not only restricted to the men.
On November 11th, it was announced by ACF, responsible for holding a number of training camps for women behind closed doors, that the women team would be playing in an International Twenty20 organized by the Asian Cricket Council, next year .
The team’s uniform would include a headscarf, commonly known as hijab. The young girls would be aiming to boost their confidence and morale while learning to deal with the pressure of the game which will eventually lead to them becoming strong and
building high self-esteem amongst them.
The men, on the other hand continue to make history as they staged the biggest upset of the Asian Games earlier this month when they defeated the gold medal favorites; Pakistan, to reach the final of the sport which was debuting at the multi-sport event.
It was a two way moment for the team’s coach, former Pakistan wicketkeeper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Rashid-Latif-c84084 who has taken the team to new heights.
Afghanistan has taken the sport from their neighbouring border of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bangladesh-c747 but their huge triumph at the games
meant that the team is there to stay for a longer time.
After a successful year, the coach and the team’s Captain Mohammad Nabi called on the board and the world to bring in more facilities for the handful plain pitches spread out over the country.
The world would be listening once they get to see how hard the country’s sportsmen are working to give their nation something to be happy about. The documentary “Out of the Ashes” is expected to be screened on BBC4 in December and it is hoped that cricket
lovers and people in general, help this country as they prepare to grasp the rare chance to shine again.
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