“When the going gets tough, the tough get going,” is a famous saying and the Afghanistan cricket team have defined it to perfection. Their maiden victory in the World Cup 2015 last week is indeed special, but to be honest, I wasn’t surprised.

Afghanistan were fortunate but remember, fortune always favours the brave and Afghan players proved themselves the bravest in the tense contest against Scotland. Not just in numbers; on the board, they also outclassed their opponents in passion, energy and enthusiasm.

I have worked with them as coach for a long time and I witnessed their unmatched passion and never-say-never attitude. The hardships they face in Afghanistan due to the volatile political situation there and the unrest probably have contributed to their attitude as well.

Their first World Cup victory is the reflection of the team’s spirit and their eagerness to fight till the last ball, which have been key factors in their continued successes at various levels. Another glaring example is the fast bowler Hamid Hassan, who has had surgeries on both knees two years ago. His career was almost over then but he bounced back and became the country’s best bowler. Playing three matches in a row is indicative of his fighting attitude.

Their first World Cup victory is the reflection of the team’s spirit and their eagerness to fight till the last ball, which have been key factors in their continued successes at various levels. Another glaring example is the fast bowler Hamid Hassan, who has had surgeries on both knees two years ago. His career was almost over then but he bounced back and became the country’s best bowler. Playing three matches in a row is indicative of his fighting attitude.

Yes, the players aren’t technically up to the mark. For instance Samiullah Shenwari’s footwork wasn’t methodical, but they compensate for such shortcomings with their approach and mental strength which is far better than the rest of the international players. Samiullah Shenwari has proved himself as the best Afghan player under pressure as he fought alone against Scotland to score 96 runs. I rate it as his best innings thus far.

Not just the top scorer Shenwari but even the players on the bench, Usman Ghani and Nasir Jamal possess top-class attitude to counter any challenge on their day. Let me tell you that both had performed very well in the previous one-day series in Zimbabwe. Another fellow deserving mention here is their wicketkeeper Mohammad Shehzad, who was dropped for this World Cup.

The Afghan outfit is shaping up with the passage of time. Asghar Stanikzai, Muhammad Nabi and Nawroz Mangal are the main players in the batting line-up. However, while they are not yet up to the mark, I am happy with the players I discovered — Doulat Zadran, Javed Ahmadi and Afsar — during my tenure as coach, and I am glad to see them doing well.

The Afghan team can step up the ladder further, however, some of them, especially captain Nabi, ex-captain Nawroz Mangal and senior batsman Asghar should get their act together. They have the main ingredient, passion and fighting spirit, in their system and I am sure that with the passage of time and experience the Afghanistan team would soon be a tough nut to crack for the opponents.

The interesting part of Afghan cricket’s progress is that they had come this far without an adequate infrastructure back home. Not so far ago, even their training camps were held in the UAE or the team would visit Pakistan for training by former Pakistan players. I have myself hosted Afghanistan teams at the Rashid Latif Cricket Academy, Country Club Karachi or some other local club arranged coaching sessions for them.

The heartening factor is that the players are performing without facilities. But they do deserve a better deal from their home board.

In my tenure (July 2010 to June 2011), I witnessed the lack of interest or probably the lack of will in the Afghan Cricket Board officials who had failed to establish training facilities and stadiums at home. Some of the officials were not even staying in the country but living in Pakistan. All in all, corruption hampered the progress at the grassroots level. The passion, as I said earlier, was always there and I witnessed a lot of talent, too, but the problem was the lack of infrastructure.

Recently, I have read that the former CEO of the Afghanistan Cricket Board, Dr Noor Muhammad Murad established two stadiums in Kabul and Jalalabad. Also a grant for a domestic T20 tournament was initiated last year. These are positive steps that will prove beneficial for Afghan cricket. I am hopeful that with decent structure and facilities the Afghanistan team will soon become a reasonable force in the world of cricket.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, March 8th, 2015

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