POSTED: Monday February 2nd 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Afghanistan welcomes home its cricket heroes as one more hurdle remains

Thousands of people expected at airport to greet team in Kabul

 

“It would be amazing to come from the refugee camps and play cricket against the big nations”

 

Afghanistan’s players have admitted they are looking forward to a big party back home in Kabul after capturing the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 3 (WCL Div. 3) in Argentina.

 

But the team also knows it has plenty of hard work to put in if it is to realise its dream of playing in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.

 

The team left Buenos Aires last night and will arrive back in Afghanistan on Tuesday and once the party is over it will be straight back to work in preparation for the next challenge. With just two months to go before the start of the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier on 1 April, the countdown is on.

 

“There will be lots of people waiting for us in Kabul and I am very excited about seeing them,” said fast bowler Hamid Hassan, who took nine wickets during the event.

 

“When we won Division 4 in Tanzania there were lots of people at the airport so as we have won Division 3 there will be even more people there, blocking the roads and celebrating by banging drums,” he said.

 

“I really enjoy the celebrations as we have such great fans. The people in Afghanistan pray for us and are waiting for the trophy to come home so we can all celebrate together.”

 

Hamid will enjoy a couple of days’ rest in Peshawar ahead of going to play first-class cricket in Pakistan. The team will get together either in India or Pakistan in early March for a training camp ahead of the qualifier.

 

Wicketkeeper Karim Khan, who won the man-of-the-match award in the decisive victory over Papua New Guinea, also admitted he couldn’t wait to show off the Division 3 trophy to the supporters at the airport.

 

“I am very, very happy. We won Division 5, we won Division 4, now we have won Division 3 and if we all work hard we will get to the World Cup. This is our country’s dream and this is my dream and the Afghan people are very happy,” said Karim.

 

“I have seen the Afghan websites, I have seen the newspapers and people have said they will be coming to the airport to meet us. Even the president may be coming to see us at the airport.”

 

But Karim also recognised that the players would need to lift their game if they were to take the final step. He will once again be training with former Pakistan wicketkeeper Rashid Latif, who acted as his personal coach in the build-up to the event, in an effort to improve his game.

 

“I sent an email to Rashid Latif to thank him for all his hard work with me. I used to be an off-spinner but now I am a very good wicketkeeper,” said Karim.

 

“Rashid has invited me for more training in Karachi in 15 days’ time so I am going for more hard work on my wicketkeeping and my batting.”

 

Middle-order batsman Rais Ahmadzai believes that his side needs to raise its game if it is to have a chance of doing well at the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier

 

“I am very happy that I am going to play for my country in the World Cup Qualifier but we need to work on our game and avoid the mistakes we made against Uganda and in the first match against the Cayman Islands,” said Rais.

 

“Our first priority is to qualify for the top six – that will be our first target so that we can play One-Day Internationals for the next four years.

 

“We want to get through to the second stage of the competition and try and get in the top four, as that would be a real gift for the Afghan people. It would be amazing to come from the refugee camps and play cricket with the big nations and try and beat a Test-playing country. That would be the greatest achievement of our lives.”

 

The dream of playing against world cricket’s strongest teams is one that is shared by Karim Khan and he believes he has the ability to perform well at this level.

 

“Hopefully, we can beat the likes of Kenya, Bermuda and UAE and get to the World Cup in 2011,” said Karim.

 

“It is my dream to play ODIs and play against the likes of Pakistan, Australia, England and India. I have faced Shoaib Akhtar from Pakistan, India’s Irfan Pathan and Australia’s Mitchell Johnson in the nets and I want to play them in a real match.”

 

The fixtures for the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier (CWCQ) in South Africa from 1 to 19 April will be released shortly. The top four sides at that event qualify for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, while a top-six place will secure ODI status for the next four years as well as automatic qualification for the ICC Intercontinental Cup.

 

Afghanistan progresses as the first qualifier to the CWCQ and will take up its position in Group B along with Kenya, Netherlands, Bermuda, UAE and Denmark. Uganda goes into Group A with Ireland, Scotland, Canada, Oman and Namibia.

 

The Pepsi ICC World Cricket League gives a clear pathway for the ICC’s Associate and Affiliate Members towards the ICC Cricket World Cup. From Division 7 right up to the top Associate teams in Division 1, every side in the world knows exactly what it has to do to get through to the premier one-day competition in cricket.

 

-ENDS-

# # #

---

Keywords · ICC · cricket · Afghanistan

---

Name: James Fitzgerald
Organization: ICC
Email:
Phone: +971 4 368 8347
URL: http://icc-cricket.yahoo.com

---

Please refer all questions to the company listed above issuing the press release. SFC will not be able to assist you with any inquiries and disclaims any content in these press releases.