Cricket in Afghanistan
Encyclopedia
Cricket in Afghanistan is a sport growing in popularity, which is represented internationally by the Afghanistan national cricket team. Afghanistan
's proximity to the test playing nation of Pakistan
has helped the game to take root.
Afghanistan's playing season runs from September to May. There are 320 cricket clubs and 6 turf wickets in Afghanistan.
s, with British
troops reported has having played in Kabul
in 1839. However, unlike many countries, no lasting cricket legacy was left by the British, and it would be more than a hundred years before cricket returned.
In the 1990s, cricket became popular amongst Afghan refugees in Pakistan
, and the Afghanistan Cricket Federation was formed there in 1995. They continued to play cricket on their return to their home country in late 2001. Like all sports, cricket was originally banned by the Taliban
, but it became an exception in 2000 and the Afghanistan Cricket Federation was elected as an affiliate member of the ICC the following year.
The Afghanistan national cricket team's 21-run win over Namibia
in Krugersdorp earned them official One Day International status in April 2009. The team qualified for the 2012 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup.
of the sport of cricket
in Afghanistan
. Its current headquarters is in Kabul
, Afghanistan. The ACB is Afghanistan's representative at the International Cricket Council
and is an affiliate member and has been a member of that body since 2001. It is also a member of the Asian Cricket Council
.
Inter-Provincial Tournament, which has the participation of 22 provinces
in the tournament. The aim of the tournament is to spread the game across the country and to generate a greater depth of talent for the national team to select from. A further aim of the tournament has been to remove the perception that the game was played almost exclusively by members of the Pashto tribe in the East of the country. The best players from the tournament would be selected players for Afghanistan-A and under-19
teams based on their performance and would be sent for training and coaching to Bangladesh
.
Two teams from the 12-team first round will advance to the next round. The top six from the tournament will then contest Afghanistan's main domestic event - a 50 over tournament in Kabul
in May 2010. The 50 over tournament was won by Kabul Province.
in Sri Lanka
. Following Afghanistan's World Twenty20 qualifying campaign they played two One Day Internationals against Canada at the Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium
in the UAE
, after which the stadium was named the 'home' ground of Afghanistan. The following are the three major cricket stadiums in Afghanistan:
Work on the Sherzai Cricket Stadium in Jalalabad
, a city known in Afghanistan for being the 'capital of cricket', is in progress. Construction has also begun on the Kabul National Cricket Stadium
and the Kandahar International Cricket Stadium in the south of the country. http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2010/10/27/20-acres-land-donated-cricket-stadium-kandahar The President of the Afghanistan Cricket Board, Omar Zakhilwal
, announced in October 2010 that the government was planning to construct standard cricket
grounds in all 34 provinces
in the next two years.
in international cricket
matches. The national team was formed in 2001, which played in the 2009 World Cup Qualifier
after rising rapidly through the World Cricket League
, starting in Division Five in May 2008. They play in the Elite division of the ACC Trophy
.
Afghanistan's 21-run win over Namibia
in Krugersdorp earned them official One Day International status. Afghanistan won their first One Day International against Scotland. In 2011, the team qualified for the 2012 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
's proximity to the test playing nation of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
has helped the game to take root.
Afghanistan's playing season runs from September to May. There are 320 cricket clubs and 6 turf wickets in Afghanistan.
History
Cricket was first played in Afghanistan during the 19th century Anglo-Afghan WarAnglo-Afghan War
Anglo-Afghan War may refer to:*First Anglo-Afghan War *Second Anglo-Afghan War *Third Anglo-Afghan War -See also:* European influence in Afghanistan where the backdrop for the three wars mentioned above are discussed....
s, with British
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
troops reported has having played in Kabul
Kabul
Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
in 1839. However, unlike many countries, no lasting cricket legacy was left by the British, and it would be more than a hundred years before cricket returned.
In the 1990s, cricket became popular amongst Afghan refugees in Pakistan
Afghans in Pakistan
Afghans in Pakistan are mostly refugees who fled Afghanistan during the 1980s Soviet war as well as diplomats, traders, businesspersons, workers, exchange students, tourists and other visitors. As of March 2009, some 1.7 million registered Afghan nationals were reported to be living in Pakistan,...
, and the Afghanistan Cricket Federation was formed there in 1995. They continued to play cricket on their return to their home country in late 2001. Like all sports, cricket was originally banned by the Taliban
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan was founded in 1996 when the Taliban began their rule of Afghanistan and ended with their fall from power in 2001...
, but it became an exception in 2000 and the Afghanistan Cricket Federation was elected as an affiliate member of the ICC the following year.
The Afghanistan national cricket team's 21-run win over Namibia
Namibia national cricket team
The Namibia cricket team is the team that represents the country of Namibia in international cricket matches. It is governed by Cricket Namibia, an associate member of the International Cricket Council since 1992 and became part of the High Performance Program in 2007. They took part in the 2003...
in Krugersdorp earned them official One Day International status in April 2009. The team qualified for the 2012 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup.
Governing body
Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) is the official governing bodySport governing body
A sport governing body is a sports organization that has a regulatory or sanctioning function. Sport governing bodies come in various forms, and have a variety of regulatory functions. Examples of this can include disciplinary action for rule infractions and deciding on rule changes in the sport...
of the sport of cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. Its current headquarters is in Kabul
Kabul
Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
, Afghanistan. The ACB is Afghanistan's representative at the International Cricket Council
International Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council is the international governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from England, Australia and South Africa, renamed the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989.The...
and is an affiliate member and has been a member of that body since 2001. It is also a member of the Asian Cricket Council
Asian Cricket Council
The Asian Cricket Council is a cricket organization which was established in 1983, to promote and develop the sport of cricket in Asia. It is the regional administrative body and is sub-ordinate to the International Cricket Council. The Conference became the Asian Cricket Council in 1995 and its...
.
Domestic competitions
Afghanistan's domestic structure consists of a 25-overOver (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, an over is a set of six consecutive balls bowled in succession. An over is normally bowled by a single bowler. However, in the event of injury preventing a bowler from completing an over, it is completed by a teammate....
Inter-Provincial Tournament, which has the participation of 22 provinces
Provinces of Afghanistan
The provinces of Afghanistan are the primary administrative divisions of Afghanistan. As of 2004, there are thirty-four provinces in the country. Each province is further divided into smaller districts....
in the tournament. The aim of the tournament is to spread the game across the country and to generate a greater depth of talent for the national team to select from. A further aim of the tournament has been to remove the perception that the game was played almost exclusively by members of the Pashto tribe in the East of the country. The best players from the tournament would be selected players for Afghanistan-A and under-19
Afghanistan U-19 cricket team
The Afghanistan Under-19 cricket team represents the county of Afghanistan in U-19 international cricket.Afghanistan finished second in the 2009 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup Qualifier which was held in Canada. The team gained victories over the Under-19 teams of Sierra Leone, Hong Kong, Vanuatu,...
teams based on their performance and would be sent for training and coaching to Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
.
Two teams from the 12-team first round will advance to the next round. The top six from the tournament will then contest Afghanistan's main domestic event - a 50 over tournament in Kabul
Kabul
Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
in May 2010. The 50 over tournament was won by Kabul Province.
Domestic teams
- Laghman Province
- Wardak Province
- Parwan Province
- Herat Province
- Helmand Province
- Nangarhar Province
- Kunar Province
- Nuristan Province
- Balkh Province
- Kunduz Province
- Khost Province
- Paktia Province
- Kabul Province
- Logar Province
- Kandahar Province
- Panjshir Province
- Jowzjan Province
- Kapisa Province
- Zabul Province
Stadiums
The Afghan national cricket team does not play its home matches inside Afghanistan due to the ongoing security situation and the lack of international standard facilities. Afghanistan played their 'home' Intercontinental Cup fixture against Ireland at the Rangiri Dambulla International StadiumRangiri Dambulla International Stadium
Dambulla International Cricket Stadium is a 30,000 seat cricket stadium in Sri Lanka. The Stadium is situated in the Central Province, close to Dambulla on a 60 acre site leased from the Rangiri Dambulla Temple...
in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
. Following Afghanistan's World Twenty20 qualifying campaign they played two One Day Internationals against Canada at the Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium
Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium
The Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium is in the emirate of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. It was originally constructed in the early 1980s and has been much improved over the years...
in the UAE
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
, after which the stadium was named the 'home' ground of Afghanistan. The following are the three major cricket stadiums in Afghanistan:
- Ghazi Amanullah Khan International Cricket StadiumGhazi Amanullah Khan International Cricket StadiumThe Ghazi Amanullah Khan International Cricket Stadium is the first international standard cricket stadium in Afghanistan. It is located in the Ghazi Amanullah Khan Township, about 15 kilometres outside the city of Jalalabad in Nangarhar Province....
in Nangarhar ProvinceNangarhar ProvinceNangarhar is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan in the east of the country. Its capital is the city of Jalalabad. The population of the province is 1,334,000, which consists mainly of ethnic Pashtuns with a sizable community of Arabs and Pashais.... - Kandahar International Cricket Stadium in KandaharKandaharKandahar is the second largest city in Afghanistan, with a population of about 512,200 as of 2011. It is the capital of Kandahar Province, located in the south of the country at about 1,005 m above sea level...
(under construction) - Kabul National Cricket StadiumKabul National Cricket StadiumKabul National Cricket Stadium is a description of a stadium in Kabul, Afghanistan that is currently under construction. It is planned to be opened in July 2011 and have a seating capacity of 6,000 spectators....
in KabulKabulKabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
(under construction)
Work on the Sherzai Cricket Stadium in Jalalabad
Jalalabad
Jalalabad , formerly called Adinapour, as documented by the 7th century Hsüan-tsang, is a city in eastern Afghanistan. Located at the junction of the Kabul River and Kunar River near the Laghman valley, Jalalabad is the capital of Nangarhar province. It is linked by approximately of highway with...
, a city known in Afghanistan for being the 'capital of cricket', is in progress. Construction has also begun on the Kabul National Cricket Stadium
Kabul National Cricket Stadium
Kabul National Cricket Stadium is a description of a stadium in Kabul, Afghanistan that is currently under construction. It is planned to be opened in July 2011 and have a seating capacity of 6,000 spectators....
and the Kandahar International Cricket Stadium in the south of the country. http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2010/10/27/20-acres-land-donated-cricket-stadium-kandahar The President of the Afghanistan Cricket Board, Omar Zakhilwal
Omar Zakhilwal
Dr. Omar Zakhilwal , is an economist and a prominent politician in Afghanistan. He is the current Finance Minister as well as the Chief Economic Advisor to the President of Afghanistan. He is also the president of the Afghanistan Cricket Board.-Early life:...
, announced in October 2010 that the government was planning to construct standard cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
grounds in all 34 provinces
Provinces of Afghanistan
The provinces of Afghanistan are the primary administrative divisions of Afghanistan. As of 2004, there are thirty-four provinces in the country. Each province is further divided into smaller districts....
in the next two years.
National team
The Afghanistan national cricket team represents the country of AfghanistanAfghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
in international cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
matches. The national team was formed in 2001, which played in the 2009 World Cup Qualifier
2009 ICC World Cup Qualifier
The 2009 ICC World Cup Qualifier was a cricket tournament that took place in April 2009 in South Africa. It was the final qualification tournament for the 2011 Cricket World Cup....
after rising rapidly through the World Cricket League
World Cricket League
The ICC World Cricket League is a series of international one-day cricket tournaments for national teams without Test status, administered by the International Cricket Council. All associate and affiliate members of the ICC are eligible to compete in the league system, which features a promotion...
, starting in Division Five in May 2008. They play in the Elite division of the ACC Trophy
ACC Trophy
The ACC Trophy or Asian Cricket Council Trophy is a one-day cricket tournament organised by the Asian Cricket Council for the non-test nations in Asia...
.
Afghanistan's 21-run win over Namibia
Namibia national cricket team
The Namibia cricket team is the team that represents the country of Namibia in international cricket matches. It is governed by Cricket Namibia, an associate member of the International Cricket Council since 1992 and became part of the High Performance Program in 2007. They took part in the 2003...
in Krugersdorp earned them official One Day International status. Afghanistan won their first One Day International against Scotland. In 2011, the team qualified for the 2012 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup.