How Afghanistan went from playing cricket in Pakistan’s refugee camps to defeating them at World Cup

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The political tensions between the two neighbouring countries always lent a crackling edge to their faceoffs. “But sometimes aggression creates problems when you can’t control emotions in cricket,” Ahmedzai would patiently say of recurrent Afghan defeats.

Calmly chasing down Pakistan’s total of 282/7 this week, Afghanistan reached 286/2 with an over to spare with their top four scoring 65, 87, 77* and 48* and two clinical partnerships of 130 and 60. With that historic 8-wicket-win in the World Cup over Pakistan at Chennai, the image of the Cool Afghan was born.

Beyond the geopolitical flashpoint of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, and the combustible interpersonal equations arising out of how Afghans fleeing war have been treated in Pakistani refugee camps, lay a pure cricketing lesson in composure. Indians can snaffle the credit by attributing it to one of their smartest middle-order brains, Ajay Jadeja, mentoring the Afghans, and it wouldn’t be off the mark.

But nobody can deny that Messrs Gurbaz, Zadran, Rahmat and Hashmatullah pulled off one of the shrewdest run-chases against the fancied bowling attack of their arch rivals. Only after the victory was sealed did its patient architect Ibrahim Zadran (87 off 113), dedicate the win to the lakhs of Afghan refugees who are being forcibly deported back by a paranoid Pakistan.

For Raees Ahmadzai, the Chennai chomp to make the score 1-7 was revenge served icy cold, from four years ago. “The loss to Pakistan that hurt us Afghans the most was in the 2019 World Cup. We had thought we would win that easily. But Pakistan had controlled their emotions better then because of experience. This time, our fielding, batting and bowling were far better than Pakistan. And we stuck to our plan,” Ahmadzai remarks. Chasing Afghanistan’s target of 227/9 at Headingley, Pakistan had won narrowly by 3 wickets with 2 balls remaining back in 2019.

Afghans had stewed over a bunch of other losses in the last overs, while coming close to beating Pakistan. “But everyone wanted to do something special against them. It’s been four evenings, but Afghans back home are still celebrating because it was Pakistan,” Ahmadzai informs.

Painful past

Celebrations typically have seen entire communities getting together for lavish meals, rustled up at the sprawling Hujras – elaborate, inviting guest houses. “People are calling guests over as if it’s Eid. We have these big guest houses where 50-100 people come over to celebrate special occasions. That is how much beating Pakistan means to us,” Ahmadzai explains.

Afghanistan might not boast of state-of-the-art facilities, but like those expansive rambling homesteads, the Afghans treasure their open spaces, grounds by the brooks even with pebbles strewn to run around playing cricket. Space was a luxury denied to most who first learnt cricket in Pakistan refugee camps.

Ahmadzai was born at Peshawar after his family fled the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and settled in one of the cramped refugee settlements. At age eight, he first discovered cricket when Imran Khan won the World Cup in 1992, and his schoolmates described to him snatches of what the game was. He slowly fell in love with the sport, but playing it was a torment as a refugee child. “I spent a lot of time in refugee camps in Pakistan, living in tents in what were restricted areas. Sometimes we wanted to play, but were not allowed to cross to that side. For us, from watching cricket in refugee camps in Pakistan to getting into a position to beating them at World Cups is immense,” he adds.

Ahmadzai would return to Logan province and become a part of the national team which was formed in 2001, and that progressed to the 2009 ICC World Cup Qualifiers and later gained ODI status. Returning felt free. Debuting against Scotland, he scored 39, helping Afghanistan to a 39 run victory in the first-ever ODI the country had ever played. He would go on to play the ICC World T20 in 2010, and then move into coaching.

While cricket afforded some solace as a child, life as a refugee was hard. “Till 15-16 we had no shoes, running on hot baking surfaces in 45 degrees. Our junior team didn’t have spikes. There was no clean running water and there were lots of inspections,” he recalls. Inspections typically meant taunts as refugees and less-than-civil interactions from authorities, memories that scarred. “Yes, some of us learnt cricket in Pakistan. But this team has trained in Afghanistan with our facilities, our mentality, our aggression and our traditions.”

He goes a step further. “India is No 1 in Asia, but the day is not far when Afghanistan will dislodge Pakistan as No 2 in the subcontinent. So the Chennai win wasn’t just a big thing for the team, but it was the best day in the history of Afghanistan.”

Ahmadzai reckons that their success wasn’t entirely unexpected. “A win is a win, and we hate to lose. We had the skills and passion, but the one against England gave us confidence. It was sad to lose against New Zealand, but we were expecting to beat them with good spinners and in ideal conditions. We have come well prepared,” he says.

While the spinners Rashid Khan, Mujeeb-ur-Rehman and Noor Ahmed were expected to deliver, the batsmen have held strong in discipline too. It is only their third ODI against England and the Kiwis. “If big teams play us more often, they are soon going to think twice about considering us underdogs,” he adds.

It is in the manner of their wins that the Afghans have stunned the most. “We beat England one-sided on a good batting track,” he offers. The Afghans whacked 280+ against both England and Pakistan. “Inshallah we’ll win more matches,” he says.

Ahmadzai recalls being deterred by his father from playing cricket, which was then seen as a Pakistani sport, and a distraction from studies. “There was no family support. I had problems with my father who stopped me. Now when he takes my kids to the ground, I ask him why he didn’t support me! But now, Afghan girls and boys and women follow cricket, know all the three formats. Cricket is good for the unity of the nation, it’s not about different languages or different tribes.”