Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Politics spices up Pakistan-Afghanistan World Cup tie

Afghanistan v Pakistan is perhaps the World Cup match that cricket fans in the war-weary nation will be watching most intensely.

It is a complicated relationship. Many Afghanistan players learned the game growing up as refugees in Pakistan but lots of Afghans also accuse their powerful neighbour of supporting Taliban militants.


With years of distrust and blame between the two countries, a high-stakes victory over Pakistan in the sport it loves best on Saturday would taste especially sweet to Afghans.

There is also intrigue on the pitch at Headingley, in the northern English city of Leeds.

Pakistan cannot afford any more slip-ups, needing to win their final two matches to retain a realistic chance of reaching the semi-finals after a slow start to the tournament.

Afghanistan, appearing in just their second World Cup since their debut in 2015, are playing for pride after losing all seven of their matches so far.

Afghanistan captain Gulbadin Naib played down the political tensions between the two nations at his pre-match press conference on Friday, saying he hoped cricket could build bridges.

"If you look at our cricket, we learnt a lot of cricket in Pakistan and we also played cricket in Pakistan," Naib said.

"We are also hoping cricket is one thing that can keep a good relationship for anyone, any other country. So I am hoping that not only with Pakistan, but with India, Sri Lanka and other countries."

- Refugee camps -

Cricket became popular in Afghanistan after the Soviet invasion of 1979, with young people learning the sport in refugee camps on the Pakistan border.

All-rounder Mohammad Nabi and leg-spinner Rashid Khan started playing the game in Peshawar while the Pakistan Cricket Board helped Afghanistan cricket by providing equipment and playing opportunities.

Two former Pakistan internationals -- Kabir Khan and Rashid Latif -- have played key roles in the development of Afghanistan as coaches over the past decade.

But the lingering tensions mean that Afghan players are reluctant to draw attention to their association with Pakistan and often show more of an affiliation with Pakistan's arch rivals, India.

On the pitch, Afghanistan beat their formidable rivals in a pre-World Cup warm-up match, but they have lost all three official one-day internationals between the two sides.

Despite this winning record, Pakistan skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed warned his players not to take Afghanistan lightly.

"We know they have quality spinners in their team," said Sarfaraz, referring to Rashid, Nabi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman. "We can't take them lightly because a team such as Afghanistan can be dangerous."

"We have staged a comeback with a strong belief that we can win and then our way to the semi-final is paved, but at the moment we have only Saturday's game on our minds," he added.

Pakistan's last match of the round-robin phase is against Bangladesh, which could turn into another virtual quarter-final at Lord's on July 5 as they target the semi-finals and dream of a second World Cup triumph.

Afghanistan's sights are set lower but they have a long-term dream.

Naib said he hoped playing at tournaments such as the World Cup would boost the standard of the game in Afghanistan.

"We want more matches to build our cricket so it's really good for us to play a lot of cricket with them (major nations)," said the Afghan skipper.

More For You

England rejects calls to boycott Afghanistan match

ECB chairman Richard Thompson. (Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images)

England rejects calls to boycott Afghanistan match

ENGLAND will play their Champions Trophy match against Afghanistan later this month, England's cricket board (ECB) said, despite calls to boycott the game in response to the Taliban government's crackdown on women's rights.

Last month, a group of British lawmakers urged England to boycott the Champions Trophy group stage match against Afghanistan which will be held in Lahore on February 26.

Keep ReadingShow less
Greg Norman calls for more
golf events in ‘sleeping giant’ India

Greg Norman

Greg Norman calls for more golf events in ‘sleeping giant’ India

Eastern Eye

INDIA is a sleeping giant in golf, Australian legend Greg Norman has said, as he called for more tournaments to be held in the country to help players realise their true potential.

The 69-year-old former world number one, who has 88 professional titles under his belt, spoke of his optimism for India’s growth in the sport.

Keep ReadingShow less
india-england-odi-BCCI

India handed ODI debuts to opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and fast bowler Harshit Rana. (Photo credit: BCCI)

England bat first in ODI opener as Kohli sits out

ENGLAND captain Jos Buttler won the toss and chose to bat against India in the first of three one-day internationals in Nagpur on Thursday.

India were without Virat Kohli, who missed out due to a sore right knee.

Keep ReadingShow less
Manchester-Originals-Getty

If finalised within the eight-week exclusivity period, the deal would make Manchester Originals the second team in The Hundred to have an IPL-affiliated investor. (Photo: Getty Images)

India’s RPSG Group buys 49 per cent stake in Hundred’s Manchester Originals

THE RPSG Group, owners of Indian Premier League (IPL) team Lucknow Super Giants, have secured a 49 per cent stake in Manchester Originals following the latest auction of The Hundred franchises on Monday.

Reports suggest the deal is valued at around £58 million, placing the overall valuation of Manchester Originals, who play at Old Trafford, at over £100m.

Keep ReadingShow less
u19-t20-wc-champs

India remained unbeaten throughout the tournament, winning all their group matches against West Indies, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka. (Photo: X/@narendramodi)

India win second consecutive U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup title

INDIA secured their second successive U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup title with a nine-wicket win over South Africa in the final on Sunday. The victory made India the first team to win the tournament without losing a single match.

India chased down the 83-run target with 52 balls to spare. Gongadi Trisha was the standout performer, taking 3/15 with the ball before scoring an unbeaten 44 off 33 balls.

Keep ReadingShow less