Afghanistan Cricket Part II set for happy ending in World Cricket League

The sequel to the Afghan cricket story should have a happy ending in Sharjah today.

Hamid Hassan, with hair band, and his Afghanistan teammates look unstoppable. Pawan Singh / The National
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SHARJAH // When the original rags to riches tale of Afghanistan cricket was first told four years ago, the ending was not the one you were expecting.

It started with the best stone throwers in the refugee camps across the border in Pakistan learning a foreign sport so beloved in the country housing them.

When those who had been displaced by war went home, they took this new sport with them and set up a national team when they got back to Kabul.

Despite meagre resources, the new team rose inexorably, ticking off the divisions until, remarkably, they got to the brink of the World Cup.

But that is where the journey stopped. There was no fairytale ending. They missed out on playing at the World Cup, which was their outlandish aspiration at the start of their voyage of discovery.

If it had been a Rocky movie, the heroes would have landed a knock-out blow when they were on their last legs and celebrated on the top steps of world cricket. Hollywood would not have let them fail.

Tomorrow the decisive act of the sequel might be played out at Sharjah Cricket Stadium. And Afghanistan Cricket: Part II is almost guaranteed to have a happy ending, judged on the evidence of their first fixture with Kenya this week.

The Afghans need to beat Kenya to knock the UAE out of the second automatic qualifying place for the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

They were so dominant against the African side in an eight wicket win on Wednesday that is was remarkable to think where they had started from.

While the Afghan refugees were still reacquainting themselves with their homeland a decade ago, Kenya were reaching the semi-finals of the World Cup.

As such, the Afghans are overwhelming favourites, but their players are taking nothing for granted.

“It is a long journey we have made from Division 5 to Division 1 and then to the [2010] Twenty20 World Cup,” said Hamid Hassan, the fast-bowler who used to watch Rocky movies as inspiration for his cricket.

“We are still on that journey and the big dream is to go to the 2015 World Cup. I will be the happiest person in the team if we can make it.

“If we win on Friday, then over the next two weeks look at the videos on Youtube.

“Thousands of people will come to the airport to celebrate. People are so loving of this game and are waiting for Friday.

“If we qualify you will be able to share the happiness of our people on Youtube. If we are lucky, we will win that game and qualify.”

It is difficult not to be endeared to the Afghan cause, but if they do succeed today it makes the UAE’s chances of making it to the game’s premier limited-overs competition far tougher.

The side who do not advance directly to the World Cup with Ireland from this two-year long competition will have to play a repechage tournament in New Zealand at the start of next year.

It will be fraught with difficulties as conditions there will favour neither the UAE or the Afghans.

Whatever the outcome, however, the UAE coach Aaqib Javed says he is proud of what his players have achieved in reaching the cusp of the big stage.

“The way Afghanistan are playing, they look solid and unstoppable,” the former Pakistan bowler said.

“If they qualify for the World Cup, it will be a great achievement and honestly, a well-deserved one too.

“If we fail to qualify from this tournament, I will still be a proud man because of the way the side has responded since I have taken over.”

pradley@thenational.ae

Ireland are guaranteed to finish in first place.

Country P W L T NR Pts NRR

1 Ireland 14 11 1 1 1 24 +0.985

2 UAE 14 9 5 0 0 18 +0.359

3 Netherlands 14 8 4 1 1 18 +0.621

4 Afghanistan 13 8 4 0 1 17 +0.581

5 Scotland 14 7 6 0 1 15 -0.117

6 Kenya 13 5 8 0 0 10 -0.277

7 Namibia 14 2 12 0 0 4 -1.162

8 Canada 14 1 11 0 2 4 -0.963