Afghanistan cricket shines on Trinidad and Tobago soil again

TWELVE years after shocking the Red Force with a fearless brand of cricket, en route to winning the inaugural Asia vs the Caribbean series, Afghanistan were again celebrating on Trinidad and Tobago soil – but this time on a much bigger stage.

Afghanistan’s victory over Papua New Guinea (PNG) at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Tarouba on June 13 was their third straight in Group C at the ICC T20 Cricket World Cup, and sealed their first-ever appearance in the Super Eight of the global showpiece.

The euphoria in the Afghanistan camp was evident, similar to their jubilation at the Queen's Park Oval in 2012, when they finished above a strong Bangladesh team, a star-studded TT Red Force and Barbados.

Afghanistan, then captained by Mohammed Nabi – who is in the 2024 World Cup squad – opened the 2012 tournament with a stunning three-wicket victory over the Red Force, courtesy blinders from Nabi (57 off 36 balls) and Gulbadin Naib (35 not out off 20 balls), also in the current team.

Former West Indies player Rayad Emrit, who captained Trinidad and Tobago in that series, remembers the team well.

Although missing big names such as Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo – now a bowling consultant with Afghanistan – TT featured immense quality in the squad, including former Windies opening batsman Daren Ganga, ex-WI batsman Adrian Barath, sidelined Windies batman Evin Lewis, former Windies fast bowler Shannon Gabriel, Jason Mohammed, Dave Mohammed and William Perkins.

In an interview with Newsday on June 15, Emrit recalled the approach by Afghanistan, who chased an unlikely 172 for victory.

“One of the things that stood out was the way they batted,” Emrit said. “They came out attacking our bowlers. They were fearless and didn’t respect any names. We were surprised by the way they played their cricket. We were on the back (foot) with how they came out.

“Then we understood that this is how they played their cricket.”

The defeat was actually the second TT had suffered against Afghanistan, after another upset in a T20 Festival in Canada in 2011.

The strength of the Afghanistan team surprised TT, but the foundation of a quality team was already there. The Asians had risen from division five of the ICC to division one in the space of five years. Their qualification for the 2012 T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka underscored their meteoric rise and showed that they belonged.

Despite the unrest in the war-torn country, owing to the Taliban's battle to regain power and the aftermath of US moves to eliminate Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda, the Afghanistan cricket team persevered, while playing almost exclusively away from home.

Although initially comprising war refugees who learned the game in Pakistan, Afghanistan continues to produce quality cricketers and now boasts its own T20 league.

Emrit is not surprised by the team’s performance on the global stage.

At last year’s 50-overs Cricket World Cup, Afghanistan were just one win shy of a semifinal appearance, finishing with four wins, including scalps against England, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, and five losses in the group phase.

At the current T20 World Cup, Afghanistan’s campaign began with a resounding win over New Zealand and followed with positive results against Uganda and PNG.

“I’m not surprised by their success,” Emrit said, adding that they’ve been able to produce quality international players over the years. “What amazes me is their fast bowling and the way they are fielding.”

He said a number of their senior players are in demand in T20 leagues around the world, including the prestigious Indian Premier League, Bangladesh Premier League and Dubai league.

Emrit played a few matches in an Afghanistan T20 tournament in Kabul in 2017 before a suicide bombing outside a stadium during a game saw him abruptly return home.

He said players in the Afghanistan league embody the spirit of the national team.

“On a whole, they play fearless and don’t mix matters. They know exactly what they are about.”

He said the discussions around that time were about the talent of spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman, 23, currently in the T20 squad.

“They said Mujeeb would be the next superstar. He went for runs, but they kept saying it, and they knew he’d be a star.”

The Asia vs the Caribbean tournament was organised by All Sport Promotions and its late director Tony Harford. Former All Sport Promotions project officer Nicholas Lochan, who worked at the tournament, told Newsday on Monday his former boss had initially targeted India or Pakistan to represent Asia, but was unable to pull it off.

He turned to Afghanistan and the war-torn nation accepted.

"They were very rugged. Very serious about their cricket. They surpassed people's expectations. They were better than we thought," Lochan said.

He said on seeing them play, he realised Afghanistan was doing something right to be able to produce that quality of cricket."

TT Cricket Board president Azim Bassarath recalled there were national security meetings before approval was given for Afghanistan to be invited to the tournament, owing to the threat of the Taliban.

But, he said, Afghanistan’s performance during the Asia vs the Caribbean series “won the hearts of the cricketing world.”