By Shadi Khan Saif
KABUL
With the Cricket World Cup starting in Australia and New Zealand on Saturday, a young squad of emerging talents from Afghanistan is hoping to cause a few upsets and, in the process, provide their compatriots with a shot of pride to distract from decades of conflict.
The Afghan squad, competing in its first world cup, is considered to be a dark horse of the cricket world, rising rapidly through the ranks in the past decade. It was only in 2000 that the game was brought to Afghanistan, by former refugees returning from their long stay in neighboring Pakistan.
The same former refugees -- forced abroad by the conflict caused by Soviet invasion and internal fighting from the 1980s -- formed the early national squads and laid the foundation of the game, without much in the way of assistance or facilities.
Now, thanks to growing interest, an increased fanbase and international assistance, a new generation of players who picked up the game at home have taken the lead.
In the Afghan capital, Kabul, the World Cup is the talk of the town. Private TV channels, radio stations and other media outlets in the revitalized Afghan media are competing to provide the best coverage of the tournament.
Nabi Essakhail, captain of the 15-member Afghan squad, is more cautious about associating very high hopes with his men against experienced sides like Australia, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and England.
"We will be facing international teams that have an experience of many decades and some of them centuries behind them, so we do not claim to prevail over them," Essakhail told The Anadolu Agency before his side left.
The Afghan captain, who has been ranked as one of the game's best all-round players, emphasized that his aim is to keep spirits high and put in good performances without worrying much about the fact that this is his country's first foray into the top international tournament.
Afghanistan will take on Bangladesh in their maiden encounter next Wednesday. Last year, during the Asia Cup competition, the Afghans surprised the more experienced Bangladeshi team by beating them on their home ground.
"We have a competitive squad that has a good combination of rich experience and enthusiastic youth," said Essakhail, who will have five youngsters out on the field, including 21-year old Afsar Zazai.
"My father is a taxi driver in Kabul, my parents did not want me to waste time on cricket but when they saw my growth and achievements in such a short time, they started backing me," Zazai told AA during the final training session in the Kabul International Stadium before leaving for the tournament.
He was just 18 when he made his first-class debut for Afghanistan in an Intercontinental Cup match in Sharjah, scoring 84 runs unbeaten in a win over The Netherlands.
One of the reasons behind the fast and steady growth behind cricket in Afghanistan is the all-round acceptance and modest requirement for the game; a tennis ball and wooden bat is all that is needed to begin playing.
Among the lot of seniors, former captain Nawroz Mangal already proved his worth in a warm-up match against the India, the defending champions, on Tuesday. "The youngsters are our future, they have the skills and energy to lead the nation," he said.
Fans plan to follow the tournament closely. One of them, Naeem Laghmani, 35, a shopkeeper in Kabul, has bought a new flat screen TV for his shop and a cable connection to watch his countrymen live.
Afghanistan's performance in the first round group games, including against the likes of Australia and Sri Lanka, will decide whether they progress but for fans like Naeem, the Afghan squad has already won the hearts of supporters by making sure the Afghan flag is represented.
"No one imagined this in their wildest dreams a decade ago that the wars would let us to breath with such freedom and ultimately compete in global sports competitions," he said.
