Afghanistan finished with the silver medal in cricket during the Asian Games 2010 in Guangzhou. Four years down the line, they are at Incheon, trying to take their success to the next level. Nishad Pai Vaidya spoke to Raees Ahmadzai, the former Afghanistan batsman, who is coaching the team at the Asian Games 2014, about the team’s build-up and the chances.
Go back to the year 2010. Afghanistan had just made their international debut with an appearance at the ICC World T20 in the Caribbean. This team of spirited men searched for more glory and entered the Asian Games 2010 in Guangzhou. It was the first time cricket featured at the Asian Games, though it wasn’t a star-studded affair. India stayed away from the competition, while Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh sent their A-sides. Afghanistan were at full-strength and capitalised on the opportunity to make it through to the final, only to end in heart-break with Bangladesh taking away the gold medal.
Four years down the line, Afghanistan eye higher honours at the Asian Games 2014 in Incheon. When compared to the last time, Afghanistan are in a much stronger position. Since their 2010 silver medal at Guangzhou, Afghanistan have moved from strength to strength. They have featured in two more World T20s, made their One-Day International (ODI) debut, featured in an Asia Cup, defeated a Test- playing nation in an ODI and have also qualified for the mega event — ICC World Cup 2015. So, this time, they have sent a weaker side, which features only a small crop of their international stars. The main Afghanistan side will continue their World Cup warm-ups Down Under, but captain Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib and Samiullah Shenwari will fly to South Korea to strengthen the squad.
Raees Ahmadzai, the former Afghanistan batsman, who is now a coach, is with the Afghanistan side at Incheon. Speaking to CricketCountry, he said, “The Afghanistan team is one of the best T20 sides for this event. Captain Nabi and other stars player will play in this Asian Games such as Hamid Hassan, Gulbadain Naib and Samiullah Shenwari. There are other good young players in the side.” Hassan has been a part of the Afghanistan setup for a long time and will be one of their main bowlers at this event. He was one of the first cricketers from the country to make a mark in international cricket when they made that steep ascent to the top.
“The national side will be good in Australia and as a coach or former player, I would love to see us win two or three matches,” Ahmadzai says about the senior team’s tour to Australia. Ahmadzai is focused on the job at hand though. He has to guide this team in South Korea. They have an automatic passage into the quarter-finals along with Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Hong Kong. Pakistan and India have stayed away from Incheon 2014. Afghanistan would face the winner of Group B comprising Kuwait, Maldives and Nepal.
Given the draw, Afghanistan should make it through to the semi-finals, where they would face Hong Kong in all likelihood. Nabi’s arrival would bring in some much-needed experience and it would guide the youngsters in this journey. The team features other young players such as Najeeb Tarakai, Mohammad Mujtaba and Amir Hamza Hotak. Tarakai represented Afghanistan at the ICC World T20 2014 and Hotak has been a part of the team for two years. Mujtaba is one of their rising stars, having guided the Afghanistan under-19 side to the quarter-finals of the ICC Under-19 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) this year.
In the lead-up to this tournament, they had some preparations with the domestic T20 tournament going on. Ahmadzai says, “We had 15 days hard training camp in Kabul. The players also had a nice region T20 tournament in Kabul.”
“We will try our best to do something special for the gold medal. We have good chance to win this tournament. The last Asian Games were very good. It was unlucky that we lost the final. Now we are ready to win the gold medal inshallah. Will love to go back with a victory and it’s my dream to win the gold medal as a coach for my country,” says Ahmadzai. The last time, Afghanistan had shocked Pakistan in the semi-final and then lost to Bangladesh in the gold-medal match-up. This time, there is that hunger to get back the medal they lost the last time. Afghanistan’s dreams hinge upon cricketing success for they are symbols that transcend the field of play. An Asian Games medal in cricket could be huge for the sport in the country.
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