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| Cricket leads the way as Afghan sport grows by the day |
“It was a well deserved decision but our aim is not associate membership but full ICC membership”
If any statement could capture why Afghanistan sport is flourishing, this might be it.
Afghanistan Cricket Board CEO Noor Muhamma Murad is not about to get excited about associate membership - he wants more.
Considering the recent accomplishments of the Afghanistan cricket team, he is well within his rights to be aiming high.
Since the overthrow of the Taliban, sports such as cricket, football and rugby have been growing at a phenomenal rate. A nation banned from playing most sports between 1996-2001, has entered the competitive fray with a refusal to look back and a glint in the eye.
2013 saw a number of sporting triumphs. In September, the nation's football team won their first major tournament with a 2-0 victory over India in the South Asian Football Federation Championship. The result put Afghanistan on the football map and positive headlines emanated from the country for many days.
At the Ballon d'Or ceremony, the Afghanistan Football Federation received the FIFA Fairplay award for its work developing grassroots football, building infrastructure and nurturing a professional league.
An international trophy boosts football’s popularity but it still lags behind cricket – the sparkling jewel in the nation’s sporting crown.
The sport became popular amongst Afghan refugees in Pakistan during Taliban rule and it was in Pakistan, not Afghanistan, where the Afghanistan Cricket Federation was born. The conservative attire and manner of the game helped convince the Taliban to accept the sport in 2000, a year before allied troops arrived. Cricket has certainly made the most of its head start.
Already part of the T20 World Cup furniture, Afghanistan made history in October 2013 by defeating Kenya to qualify for the Cricket World Cup for the first time. They will join Australia and England in Pool A at the 2015 tournament in Australia and New Zealand.
The victory sparked scenes of celebrations throughout the nation. More than 24,000 cricket fans gathered peacefully in Khost province to welcome their sporting heroes. In this video another side to Afghanistan is shown – one that is centred on unity, not war and destruction.
All levels of the sport are developing. This month saw the Under-19 team beat cricket powerhouse Australia in the ICC World Cup. After reaching the quarter-finals they were knocked out by another superpower South Africa. Not bad for kids.
“Cricket in Afghanistan is more than a game, it is a tool for national unity and hope for youth in Afghanistan. Qualifying for the World Cup will give us a new sporting identity and we can prove we are a talented nation,” Noor Muhammad Murad told Al Jazeera English.
While Afghanistan is a huge nation punctuated by clans and tribes, when a cricket bat or football is thrown into the mix, divisions are marked only by the team you fall on.
The CEO of the Afghanistan Rugby Federation, Asad Ziar, believes there are no limits to what sport can achieve in the country.
“Its intrinsic values such as teamwork, fairness, discipline and respect are understood all over the world and can be utilised in the advancement of solidarity and social cohesion,” Ziar told Al Jazeera English.
“There are no dangerous areas when it comes to spreading sport, in fact there is no sect or groups against the development of sports in any part of the country.”
With the ARF launching in 2011, rugby in one of the nation’s youngest sports. However, Ziar and his colleagues have already achieved an outstanding amount.
At the 2013 West Asia Rugby Sevens in Dubai, the Afghan Rugby team defeated the UAE and Lebanon. In a nation where travel is unfamiliar and difficult for many of its inhabitants, organising the trip to Dubai for his players was an impressive feat alone.
“I received hundreds of messages through cell phone, emails and social media from around the globe which really was a proud moment. We got the runner-up shield in this tournament and it was the first international victory by an Afghan team in the field of rugby,” said Ziar.
The female factor
In addition to developing the national team, and spreading the word of rugby around his nation, Ziar and the ARF have taken the bold decision of introducing rugby to girls.
In June 2013, Ziar gathered 600 girls at a Kabul school and distributed leaflets about rugby before providing some introductory sessions.
Unsurprisingly, the cultural complications when it comes to developing women’s sport are a minefield.
“Promoting women’s rugby requires a lot more from us, since there are no private grounds for rugby yet and it is not possible that the women side should be trained in public,” says Ziar.
“We need secured and proper facilities for the development of women’s rugby. When we have these facilities we will start working on the development of a women’s team.”
It might surprise some that Afghanistan does have a women’s cricket and football team up and running. This is a huge (perhaps bigger than huge) development considering social factors and the infancy of competitive sport since Taliban rule.
Most of the players draw from the Afghan capital Kabul where there is a more liberal attitude towards women.
“We developed a women cricket development strategy in 2013. Training camps have been conducted in five provinces and we are planning to participate in the Asia Challenge Cup for the first time in our history,” said Noor Muhammad Murad.
One woman who has played a vital part in encouraging women to pick up bat and ball is Diana Barakzai. She is the cricket captain of the national team, a qualified ICC coach and the Women Cricket Development Manager of the Afghanistan Cricket Board.
“I got into cricket in 2009 because I wanted to bring Afghan women into the structure of cricket and sports,” Barakzai tells Al Jazeera English.
“The future of cricket is quite brilliant. If the resources are used properly for women’s cricket, it should have a good future.”
Another exciting development for Afghan sport is the planned introduction of cricket onto the school curriculum. If the Ministry of Education approves the new programme, the training of school teachers will begin in April 2014.
Physically strong and competitive-minded, there is no shortage of sporting talent in Afghanistan. However, the nation struggles from a lack of qualified coaches and sporting expertise.
“The international sporting community has always helped the development of sport in Afghanistan but we are yet to witness an Afghan with graduate or postgraduate degree in the field of sport or sport development. I think for long-term development and strategies we need some professional Afghan sport development professionals,” says Rugby chief Ziar.
Considering the absence of sport from educational institutions and the turmoil of war, it is remarkable (or perhaps simply brilliant) how far Afghanistan sport has come over the last few years.
One can only hope peace and democracy blossom in a similar vein when NATO troops leave in 2015. Perhaps sport can help it to do so.
“I do not make judgments about an individual’s participation in the war, but simply hope to encourage young people to do something positive, fun and competitive, in the hope that they will avoid becoming part of the violence and avoid the temptation of drugs,” says Ziar.
“It is not just the sporting international community who should take an interest. If the international community as a whole want peace and stability in Afghanistan they must support the development of sport by any means they can.”
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