Tremendous cricket victory brought honour to the war torn Afghanistan

Eastern Afghan province Ningrahar’s governor Gul Agha Sherzai warmly welcomed Afghan national cricket team in Jalalabad following an honourable victory over UAE. 06/12/2009.Afghanistan
By Hanan Habibzai

The team members being invited by governor Sherzai to celebrate the victory , thousands of local men came together and praised the hard working national team with cheerful clapping .
The Afghan cricket team has packed down the 12 nations Asian Cricket Council Twenty20 Cup after it has beaten host team the United Arab Emirates by 84 runs at Dubai last week.
M Nabi has saved Afghans by 73 runs, with nine boundaries and four sixes.
His knock helped Afghanistan score 196 for 8 after winning the toss. Mohammad Nabi also damaged the UAE's hopes of reaching the target with a fatal spell of four wickets for just seven runs from nine balls very soon.
On their return home Wednesday last week, the winning Afghan players were accorded an impressive greeting at the Kabul International Airport by a cheering crowd together with Nangarhar Governor Gul Agha Sherzai, MPs and some high ranking officials, who welcomed the heroes by performing traditional dance .
The president Hamid Karzai met with the players and cricket officials at the Palace and promises them necessary facilities.
Hamid Karzai awarded 100,000 afghanis ( $2000) to each member of the national team in acknowledgment of their tremendous performance in the recent Twenty20 cricket cup tournament in UAE.
Hailing the team's unbeaten run, Karzai said claiming the glory of the event was an honour and pride for the whole nation: "You won the Asian Cricket Championship with your efforts and passion that is an honour for Afghanistan’’.
Karzai promised his government will do necessary endeavours to solve the difficulties in front of the national cricket team.
Many Afghan players learnt the game in Pakistan refugee camps having fled violence at home.
Early 1980s when USSR invaded Afghanistan the game was not familiar in the country but now, every war torn Afghan recognising cricket as a leading national game.
The game attracted the whole attention when the national team continuously beaten the rivals during international tours and returned home with honourable victories.
To many Afghans a successful cricket team is only profit Afghanistan has got after the Taliban but the development depends on the efforts of senior players who funded the game in the country.
Indeed this is a big achievement in the history of Afghanistan.
Afghanistan is already effected by huge corruption, drug trade and continuing violence.
The war-destroyed country is one of the poorest countries in the world and the last few decades of war have seriously disrupted its mainly agricultural economy and other institutions.
The illicit opium trade is the one economic activity that not only stays alive but increased all through and after the war.
Now it accounts for more than half of GDP and is said to involve corrupt government officials at every level. Local warlords control the poppy-growing areas using the proceeds to fund their militias and arms purchases.
Billions of international funds flooded to Afghanistan being eloped by the serving official corrupt network across governmental system and ordinary Afghans remained witnessing the bloody side of the martial situation in the last nine years.
Despite increasing instability it was Afghan senior cricket players who are bringing a good name to the poor country, the players who really love their country and its poor nation. Certainly, they have given a huge honour the wounded nation and every Afghan feels proud when Afghan national team defeated one after other in UAE.

Photographer Fazel Qader Fazly

Eastern Afghan province Ningrahar’s governor Gul Agha Sherzai warmly welcomed Afghan national cricket team in Jalalabad following an honourable victory over UAE. 06/12/2009.Afghanistan
By Hanan Habibzai

The team members being invited by governor Sherzai to celebrate the victory , thousands of local men came together and praised the hard working national team with cheerful clapping .
The Afghan cricket team has packed down the 12 nations Asian Cricket Council Twenty20 Cup after it has beaten host team the United Arab Emirates by 84 runs at Dubai last week.
M Nabi has saved Afghans by 73 runs, with nine boundaries and four sixes.
His knock helped Afghanistan score 196 for 8 after winning the toss. Mohammad Nabi also damaged the UAE's hopes of reaching the target with a fatal spell of four wickets for just seven runs from nine balls very soon.
On their return home Wednesday last week, the winning Afghan players were accorded an impressive greeting at the Kabul International Airport by a cheering crowd together with Nangarhar Governor Gul Agha Sherzai, MPs and some high ranking officials, who welcomed the heroes by performing traditional dance .
The president Hamid Karzai met with the players and cricket officials at the Palace and promises them necessary facilities.
Hamid Karzai awarded 100,000 afghanis ( $2000) to each member of the national team in acknowledgment of their tremendous performance in the recent Twenty20 cricket cup tournament in UAE.
Hailing the team's unbeaten run, Karzai said claiming the glory of the event was an honour and pride for the whole nation: "You won the Asian Cricket Championship with your efforts and passion that is an honour for Afghanistan’’.
Karzai promised his government will do necessary endeavours to solve the difficulties in front of the national cricket team.
Many Afghan players learnt the game in Pakistan refugee camps having fled violence at home.
Early 1980s when USSR invaded Afghanistan the game was not familiar in the country but now, every war torn Afghan recognising cricket as a leading national game.
The game attracted the whole attention when the national team continuously beaten the rivals during international tours and returned home with honourable victories.
To many Afghans a successful cricket team is only profit Afghanistan has got after the Taliban but the development depends on the efforts of senior players who funded the game in the country.
Indeed this is a big achievement in the history of Afghanistan.
Afghanistan is already effected by huge corruption, drug trade and continuing violence.
The war-destroyed country is one of the poorest countries in the world and the last few decades of war have seriously disrupted its mainly agricultural economy and other institutions.
The illicit opium trade is the one economic activity that not only stays alive but increased all through and after the war.
Now it accounts for more than half of GDP and is said to involve corrupt government officials at every level. Local warlords control the poppy-growing areas using the proceeds to fund their militias and arms purchases.
Billions of international funds flooded to Afghanistan being eloped by the serving official corrupt network across governmental system and ordinary Afghans remained witnessing the bloody side of the martial situation in the last nine years.
Despite increasing instability it was Afghan senior cricket players who are bringing a good name to the poor country, the players who really love their country and its poor nation. Certainly, they have given a huge honour the wounded nation and every Afghan feels proud when Afghan national team defeated one after other in UAE.

Photographer Fazel Qader Fazly

Eastern Afghan province Ningrahar’s governor Gul Agha Sherzai warmly welcomed Afghan national cricket team in Jalalabad following an honourable victory over UAE. 06/12/2009.Afghanistan
By Hanan Habibzai

The team members being invited by governor Sherzai to celebrate the victory , thousands of local men came together and praised the hard working national team with cheerful clapping .
The Afghan cricket team has packed down the 12 nations Asian Cricket Council Twenty20 Cup after it has beaten host team the United Arab Emirates by 84 runs at Dubai last week.
M Nabi has saved Afghans by 73 runs, with nine boundaries and four sixes.
His knock helped Afghanistan score 196 for 8 after winning the toss. Mohammad Nabi also damaged the UAE's hopes of reaching the target with a fatal spell of four wickets for just seven runs from nine balls very soon.
On their return home Wednesday last week, the winning Afghan players were accorded an impressive greeting at the Kabul International Airport by a cheering crowd together with Nangarhar Governor Gul Agha Sherzai, MPs and some high ranking officials, who welcomed the heroes by performing traditional dance .
The president Hamid Karzai met with the players and cricket officials at the Palace and promises them necessary facilities.
Hamid Karzai awarded 100,000 afghanis ( $2000) to each member of the national team in acknowledgment of their tremendous performance in the recent Twenty20 cricket cup tournament in UAE.
Hailing the team's unbeaten run, Karzai said claiming the glory of the event was an honour and pride for the whole nation: "You won the Asian Cricket Championship with your efforts and passion that is an honour for Afghanistan’’.
Karzai promised his government will do necessary endeavours to solve the difficulties in front of the national cricket team.
Many Afghan players learnt the game in Pakistan refugee camps having fled violence at home.
Early 1980s when USSR invaded Afghanistan the game was not familiar in the country but now, every war torn Afghan recognising cricket as a leading national game.
The game attracted the whole attention when the national team continuously beaten the rivals during international tours and returned home with honourable victories.
To many Afghans a successful cricket team is only profit Afghanistan has got after the Taliban but the development depends on the efforts of senior players who funded the game in the country.
Indeed this is a big achievement in the history of Afghanistan.
Afghanistan is already effected by huge corruption, drug trade and continuing violence.
The war-destroyed country is one of the poorest countries in the world and the last few decades of war have seriously disrupted its mainly agricultural economy and other institutions.
The illicit opium trade is the one economic activity that not only stays alive but increased all through and after the war.
Now it accounts for more than half of GDP and is said to involve corrupt government officials at every level. Local warlords control the poppy-growing areas using the proceeds to fund their militias and arms purchases.
Billions of international funds flooded to Afghanistan being eloped by the serving official corrupt network across governmental system and ordinary Afghans remained witnessing the bloody side of the martial situation in the last nine years.
Despite increasing instability it was Afghan senior cricket players who are bringing a good name to the poor country, the players who really love their country and its poor nation. Certainly, they have given a huge honour the wounded nation and every Afghan feels proud when Afghan national team defeated one after other in UAE.

Photographer Fazel Qader Fazly