Cricket Kenya has announced the squad which will travel to the Netherlands for the World Cricket League Division 1 tournament which begins on July 1. Kenya begin with a game against Ireland, the current title holders, on the opening day of the competition, which runs until July 10.

With the 2011 World Cup less than nine months away, the competition will allow the teams to continue their planning for the event, and with this - and Cricket Kenya’s long term objectives for the team’s development - in mind several junior players have been included in the touring party, which will also stop off in the United Kingdom to play in a series of warm-up games arranged by the group Friends of Kenya.

David Obuya is missing from the squad due to his injury struggles, while Seren Waters is unavailable due to university commitments.

Kenya squad: Morris Ouma, James Kamande, Collins Obuya, Alex Obanda, Elijah Otieno, Hiren Varaiya, Rakep Patel, Alfred Luseno, Nehemiah Odhiambo, Thomas Odoyo, James Otieno, Shem Obado, Nelson Odhiambo, Francis Otieno, Dominic Saleh

Kabul kept alive their hopes of a semi-final place in Afghanistan's 50-over Etisalat Trophy, beating Kunar by three wickets in their Group C match in Kabul on Sunday, Panjshir and Laghman have already qualified for the semi-finals.

Kunar, from the country's east, won the toss and elected to bat first. Aspirations of a high total were dented when they lost three wickets in reaching 50. Kunar never fully recovered and were all-out for 130 in 32.3 overs.

Afghanistan under-19 captain Noorulhaq Malikzai had a handy game, taking a key wicket in the Kunar innings and chipping in with 23 in Kabul's reply. Kabul needed just 29.1 overs to overtake the Kunar total.

The Afghanistan Cricket Board will decide on Monday which teams are playing that day. It is believed Ghazni, the fifth team in Group C may have a first round bye and the two successful teams in Group C, Kabul and Logar, may play each other. This has not been finalised.

Results for days 5 to 12 are:
Group B:

Panjshir 171 beat Khost 30 by 141 runs; Laghman 269-9 beat Kapisa 176 by 93 runs; Paktika 319 for 9 beat Badakhstan 137 by 182 runs; Nangarhar 341 beat Herat 219 by 122 runs; Nangahar 251 lost to Laghman 252-9 by 1 wicket; Laghman 211 beat Paktika 172.
Group C:

Jawozjan 95 lost to Logar 97-0 by 10 wickets; Kunar 130 lost to Kabul 131-7 (29.1ov.) by three wickets.

Cayman Islands thrashed Bahamas by 111 runs at the Southampton Rangers Cricket Club Ground in Bermuda after Bahamas put up another disappointing batting display. Chasing 272 to win, Bahamas were bowled out for 160 with no batsman making more than 30.

With extras and captain Gregory Taylor being the joint highest scorers at 28 runs apiece, Bahamas were never in the game. Cayman Islands offspinner Kevin Bazil took figures of 4 for 26 and was ably supported by fellow offspinner Alessandro Morris, who took 3 for 41.

Earlier, Cayman Islands were boosted by three half-centuries on a damp wicket from opener Ramon Sealy, Ryan Bovell and Ronald Ebanks to set a challenging total of 271. Player of the Match Sealy hit 11 boundaries during his 65 from 74 deliveries. Bovell and Ebanks then added 62 runs for the fifth wicket before Bovell fell for 52 from 56 deliveries. Despite a late collapse, Ebanks finished the innings unbeaten on 51 off only 39 balls with six boundaries and three sixes.

Bermuda crushed Argentina by a huge margin of 166 runs after Argentina folded for 116 chasing a stiff target of 283 at the Sea Breeze Oval.

On another cool day interspersed with showers, Argentina opening bowler Gary Savage scythed through the Bermuda top order to leave them struggling at 33 for 4. They recovered through a match-turning partnership of 186 between Janeiro Tucker and Irving Romaine. Tucker, back after announcing his retirement following Bermuda's failure to qualify for the 2011 World Cup and also recovering from knee surgery, smashed an astonishing 15 sixes on way to 136 from only 97 deliveries. Romaine made 77 off 86 balls, hitting seven sixes as Bermuda posted a daunting 282 for 6.

Like Bermuda, Argentina also lost their top order cheaply with Jordan DeSilva taking 3 for 12 off eight overs. Unlike Bermuda, though, Argentina never recovered from 26 for 4 as Jim West destroyed any hopes of a revival with 4 for 11 from five overs. As many as seven batsmen fell before they reached 10 as Argentina were dismissed in the 36th over.

It was USA's turn to face the rampaging Rizwan Cheema after Cayman Islands the day before. Cheema made short work of USA's total of 189, hammering an unbeaten century to lead Canada to a nine-wicket win with 11 overs to spare.

Cheema went after opening bowler Adrian Gordon - who had taken 4 for 38 against Argentina - smashing him for 42 runs off only four overs. At the other end, Cheema's opening partner Trevin Bastiampillai was in another world as he took 73 deliveries to make 27, but with Cheema in such a mood, he just had to ensure Canada didn't lose wickets upfront. Cheema hit ten fours and five sixes, finishing on an unbeaten 114.

Earlier, Calvert Hooper claimed 3 for 41 as USA were reduced to 65 for 5 and then 113 for 7. Rashard Marshall and Timroy Allen combined for a 68 run stand as USA sought to pass 200. However, both fell with the score on 181 to ensure that they finished well short of that mark.

USA hammered Argentina by 119 runs in their Division One match of the ICC World Cricket League Americas Region in Bermuda. Twin centuries by Orlando Baker and Aditya Thyagarajan propelled USA to a mammoth 347 for 6 in 50 overs at the St George's Cricket Club. Coming in after a mini collapse left USA at 91 for 4, Thyagarajan's century was the more brutal of the two, his 159 runs coming from only 119 deliveries, with 21 boundaries and three sixes. Opener Baker was the last batsman to be dismissed after scoring 113 from 108 deliveries, sharing a 213-run partnership with Thyagarajan.

An asking-rate touching nearly seven an over was always going to prove tough for
Argentina and they lost wickets regularly to finish on 228 for 9. In a chase where they needed batsmen to stay longer at the crease, Argentina's best stand was 75 runs for the fourth wicket between Gary Savage and Grant Dugmore. Adrian Gordon took 4 for 38 in eight overs for USA, a spell which included the wickets of the Argentina openers.

Bermuda brushed aside Bahamas by seven wickets with more than 20 overs to spare after Bahamas were dismissed for 128 batting first at the National Stadium in Hamilton. Player of the match Kevin Tucker took figures of 8-3-9-3 as five Bahamas batsmen failed to score. But for No. 8 Narendra Ekanayake's unbeaten 52, Bahamas would not have crossed 100, after being 19 for 5 at one stage. Ekanayake was supported by Dwight Weakley, who was the only other batsman to reach double figures, making 28 and sharing a 42-run seventh wicket stand. The state of the Bahamas innings could be gauged from the way opener Hamilton Gilliard scratched around for 57 deliveries for only 6 runs. The Bermuda batsmen didn't face any trouble in knocking off the small target, reaching it in just 28.1 overs, with only opener Fiqre Crockwell failing to make runs.

Canada completed a comfortable eight-wicket win against Cayman Islands, chasing the target of 133 with 20 overs to spare at St David's Cricket Club. In a game that was shortened to 41 overs, Cayman Islands were guilty of poor running between the wickets. Four batsmen were run out in an uninspiring batting performance, in which only one batsman crossed 20, as Cayman Islands were restricted to 132 for 9. Canada fast bowler Khurram Chohan wrecked the top order with 3 for 18 from eight overs. Though Cayman Islands captain Saheed Mohamed made 51, he lacked support from his team-mates, and the innings never recovered after Chohan had reduced them to 27 for 4.

Canada captain Rizwan Cheema seemed to be in Twenty20 mode as he smashed an unbeaten 79 from only 57 deliveries, finishing the chase in only 20.1 overs. He did justice to his reputation for big hitting, clobbering a staggering seven sixes and as many boundaries.

The Americas Division One tournament starts in Bermuda on Friday, with four of the six countries going into the event possibly with one eye on upcoming World Cricket League (WCL) commitments.

Canada are taking part in the WCL Division One tournament in early July in the Netherlands, while Argentina, Cayman Islands and United States are playing in WCL Division Four in Italy, possibly in August.

Canada have rested captain Ashish Bagai and its Australasian-based contingent from the competition in Bermuda. Bagai is expected to play in Division Four although whether John Davison and Ian Billcliff will make that trip is as yet unknown.

The Cayman Islands have rested their premier batsman, Pearson Best, for this tournament, but coach Theo Cuffy told Cricinfo he will play in WCL Division Four.

There are six changes from the United States squad which won Division Five in Nepal in January. Four of the squad - wicketkeeper Azhar Mehdi and medium-pacers Imtiaz Moazzam, Adrian Gordon and Mohammad Khan - are making their debuts while offspinning allrounder Mohammad Ghous and batsman Azurdeen Mohammed played in the Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand earlier this year. Steve Massiah is again the captain of a USA squad which, as is typical, has no American-born players.

Argentina has a new coach in former Northamptonshire player, Toby Bailey, following the return of Hamish Barton to New Zealand. Match fitness may not be a huge issue for Argentina, this tournament coming not long after the close of their domestic season although the team has not played together as a unit since WCL Division Three in January 2009.

Aside from playing in front of home crowds, the other feature for Bermuda will be the first hit-out under new coach, Australian David Moore, who is thought to be something of a disciplinarian. The captain is the vastly experienced David Hemp.

Bahamas return to Division One and are looking to consolidate their place in the top flight of cricket in the region. For the first time, a three-day Twenty20 event has been added.

A team which had originally been eliminated, has been reinstated to Etisalat Afghanistan Domestic fifty-over tournament, the country's main inter-provincial tournament, after its supporters staged a four-hour pitch invasion demanding a change to the events rules for determining semi-finalists according to a report on The Cricket Post website.

The report tells how Khost supporters' sit-in only ceased once the Afghanistan Cricket Board altered the rules so Khost would continue competing in the tournament. Under the original format, the two winners in each group with the highest run-rate were to proceed to the semi-finals. Khost was originally eliminated as they were third in Group A on run-rate behind Panjshir and Balkh.

It was expected that Panjshir and Balkh would play off on Saturday's match at the National Youth Cricket Ground in Kabul for a place in the quarter-finals. Khost, originally third in Group A objected chiefly on the grounds that Khost's provincial representative was not present at the ACB meeting where the tournament rules were decided.

The report alleges pressure from ministers in President Hamid Karzai’s cabinet, tribal leaders and parliamentarians was exerted on the ACB. The report then says ACB sources told The Cricket Post that they were asked not to upset Khost’s spectators. Sources added, ACB had feared Khostis riot may lead to a fight in the ground.

The local crowd continued to display poor behaviour during the match, with over-the-top celebration when ever their side picked a wicket or scored a boundary, culminating in a pitch invasion once Khost sealed victory.

25 overs Khost 110 for 8 beat Balkh 99 all out by 11 runs

Playing in front of a large crowd, Balkh have won the final game in Group A of the Afghanistan domestic 50-over inter-provincial tournament with a 21-run win over Maidan Wardak at the National Youth Cricket Ground in Kabul on Friday.

After being sent in, Balkh began like a team in a hurry, belting 21 runs from the first three overs. However the northerners were unable to pace their innings with sensible shot making and their innings crashed spectacularly from 115 for 1 in 13 overs to 145 for 7 in 25 overs. Mohammad Noor led the Balkh onslaught, top-scoring with 51, the tournament's first half-century.

Persistant Maidan Wardak bowling finally restricted Balkh to 170 all out from 34.4 overs after a much higher total had seemed likely.

The innings of Maidan Wardak, hailing from the province to the immediate east of Kabul, followed a similar story to Balkh's, smashing 27 in their first three overs. Balkh captain Abdullah Mazari took four wickets to instigate a Maidan Wardak crash, losing eight wickets for 128 runs, and eventually to 149 all-out in 42.2 overs.

Twenty wickets were lost in a match typical of Afghan domestic cricket where boundary hitting took priority over building an innings. Afghanistan Cricket Board officials are said to be hoping national team players will influence their less experienced team-mates in this tournament to consolidate and focus on remaining at the crease.

Panjshir and Khost stayed alive in the Etisalat Afghanistan Domestic 50-over tournament, Afghanistan’s main domestic event, by winning their respective matches at the National Cricket Stadium in Kabul. In two low-scoring affairs, Panjshir beat Helmand by five wickets on Wednesday, while Khost beat Baghlan by 29 runs on Thursday.

There are 24 provinces taking part in the tournament, with teams divided into four groups of six. Each team plays one match in the group stage, with the teams with the highest run-rate from each group progressing to the semi-finals. The tournament continues until June 8 and Afghanistan’s national team players are representing their provinces.

In Wednesday’s game, Panjshir, from the country's north-east, won the toss and put Helmand, from the south, in to bat. The decision to bowl was vindicated as Helmand lost two wickets in the first seven overs before collapsing for 126 all out.

Panjshir, mindful of the importance of run-rates in determining the semi-finalists, raced to their target of 127 in just 19 overs, losing five wickets in the process. The win keeps them in contention for a place in the last four, while Helmand has been eliminated.

In Thursday’s game, Khost's passionate supporters were rewarded when the easterners beat Baghlan by 29 runs. Baghlan, also from the north, won the toss and elected to bowl. Led by Juma Gul, who took five wickets, they knocked Khost over for 133 in 29.2 overs. Shahih Zadran top-scored with 27, while Daoud Zadran chipped in with 23.

However, Baghlan’s batsmen put up little resistance chasing 134, losing their first five wickets for 61 runs, before folding up for 103. Kaleemullah and Saeed Ahmad took three wickets apiece and Amanullah two. Yaqoob top scored for Baghlan with 21. The loss means Baghlan is out of the tournament.

Both matches were telecast live in Afghanistan. On Sunday, Balkh take on Wardag in Group A’s final match.

Bermuda will be hosting the 2010 ICC Americas Regional Division One Championship. The competition will begin on May 28 and will be followed by a Twenty20 tournament in June.

The Division One Championship will comprise six teams: Bermuda, USA, Canada, Cayman Islands, Argentina and Bahamas. The Bermuda Cricket Board has also signed an agreement with Fresh TV to provide live coverage for a game each day.

The board’s vice-president Allan Richardson said: "The BCB is delighted to secure the rights to host the ICC Americas Regional Division 1 Championship. It has been a challenge securing the tournament within ICC budget and it is thanks to many of our local providers who have helped us to make this happen. Bringing international cricket to Bermuda is a priority to showcase our local talent and to generate enthusiasm for our National Sport for all ages.

"We are extremely pleased to be pursuing a TV strategy with Fresh TV to enhance and promote the game of cricket for everyone in Bermuda. Coverage of this event provides a unique opportunity to reach the entire community by giving them the choice of coming to the game to support their team or to follow the action on TV."

Macedonia is set to take a giant leap forward in its cricket development this summer as it prepares to play host to an invitational European Twenty20 tournament.

National teams from Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria and Russia as well as a Croatia ‘A’ side will descend on the country’s capital Skopje to contest the third unofficial EuroTwenty20 event from July 10 – 17.

Cricket was first played in Macedonia in 2007 and the enthusiasm for the sport has reportedly increased greatly with the aim of working towards ICC Affiliate Member status over the next few years.

Ray Power, chairman of the British Business Group Macedonia, who is developing cricket in the country and helping to organise the tournament, is hopeful the event will help generate further interest in the game and increase participation.

He said: “We are really pleased to host the event and the long hot summers in Macedonia make it an ideal place for the sport; with an already very sociable population cricket fits into the culture and way of life very nicely.

“Of course, we have had a number of challenges to make this happen but with strong support locally we are confident this will be a great tournament and will create a lot of interest among the local population.

“It promises to be a great week of cricket and I am sure we will see some real talent emerge from the games.”

The tournament also represents progress for the recently-founded national associations of Serbia, and Romania, who will be taking part in an international competition for the first time while Hungary and Russia will hope participation will enhance their own ongoing Affiliate Member claims.

Also competing will be a team representing the Cricket Board of Wales who will include a number of players from Carmel & District Cricket Club where the tournament has been held for the past two years.

Timothy Abraham, who is the founder and principal organiser of the event at Carmel, revealed the decision to take the tournament to Macedonia was a natural step in the tournament’s ongoing commitment to helping cricket progress in Europe.

He said: “I believe we have helped the development of indigenous players from Europe by exposing them to authentic cricket conditions and turf pitches in the UK but of course there are other non-playing factors which can also help associations move forward.

“After two years of hosting the event in North Wales I felt the event needed to be held somewhere else to keep it fresh and interesting. There were a number of countries keen on hosting the event but I was lucky enough to play cricket in Skopje last year and was exceptionally impressed by the level of organisation and the enthusiasm for hosting the event so Macedonia was a logical choice.

“Hopefully the likes of Romania, Serbia and Macedonia – who are taking their first steps in international cricket – will be able to learn a lot about the game both on and off the pitch as well as boosting the profile of the sport in their respective countries.”

There are more details about the tournament on www.eurotwenty20.eu.

After four consecutive days of hot weather, the sky opened up and consistent rain greeted the players as Japan and Papua New Guinea took the field for the East Asia-Pacific Women's Trophy final. Japan captain Ema Kuribayashi won her fourth toss in a row, electing to bat first against an experienced PNG line-up.

Japan found the conditions difficult at the start, and coupled with an outstanding spell of bowling from PNG opening bowlers Pauke Siaka and Tanya Ruma, found themselves at 36-1 after 20 overs when play was stopped due to rain.

Play resumed briefly after the first rain delay, but the skies opened again soon after leaving Japan only 42 overs to bat. Ema Kuribayashi (21) was run out soon after the resumption of play, bringing the reliable Katrina Keenan to the crease, however when partner Kurumi was dismissed without scoring, Japan were struggling at 53-4.

Keenan began patiently, pushing singles and running well between wickets, before unleashing an almighty attack on all bowlers towards the end of the innings that included five boundaries and two enormous sixes.

Keenan was finally dismissed for a spectacular 60, and Japan was able to post a respectable 125-5 at the end of its 42 overs. After Duckworth-Lewis calculations, PNG was given a target of 132 to win from its 42 overs, a total made all the more difficult due to the unfriendly conditions.

However, PNG openers Mabel Ipi and Norma Ovasuru started particularly well, edging to 42 without loss before Ovasuru was dismissed leg before to Ema Kuribayashi. While the score was continuing to tick along, wickets were falling at regular intervals, and when PNG captain Ura Rigana was caught for 12 off the bowling of Ayako Nakayama, PNG was reduced to 68-4.

Boni David (15) and opener Mabel Ipi continued to score consistently, however when Ipi was caught leg before wicket off the bowling of Kuribayashi, the game was in the balance.

With Japan operating spinners from both ends, PNG was finding it difficult to force the pace, and the runs began to dry up.
Kuribayashi bowled an outstanding spell, supported well by young legspinner Ayako Nakayama, and the two combined to choke PNG to 123-9, requiring nine to win from the final Kuribayashi over.

Number 11 Nao Kone hit the second ball high and deep into the outfield, where one of Japan's best fielders, Mariko Yamamoto, was waiting to accept the catch, giving them victory by nine runs.

Keenan was adjudged Player of the tournament. Japan will now progress to the ICC Women's World Cup ualifier, while Papua New Guinea and Samoa will have to wait until the 2012 East Asia Pacific regional tournament.

Team of the Tournament: Ema Kuribayashi (Japan), Norma Ovasuru (PNG), Mariko Yamamoto (Japan), Melinda Hodgson (Samoa), Katrina Keenan (Japan), Ura Rigana (PNG), Lily Mulivai (Samoa), Varoi Morea (PNG), Pauke Siaka (PNG), Ayako Nakayama (Japan), Tanya Ruma (PNG), Regina Lilii (Samoa)

Hamid Hassan

I believe we are heading home to Afghanistan with our heads held high despite losing our second consecutive match of the tournament.

Although we are all disappointed with our batting against South Africa, I think we can be proud of the fact that we did ourselves justice in the field with a really good bowling display.

South Africa has one of the best batting line-ups in the world and so to restrict them like we did was an incredible effort and I really enjoyed the challenge of bowling to them. I think it was one of my best ever spells of bowling in my career!

Graeme Smith and a few of the other players came up to me at the end of the game and congratulated me on how I bowled which was really nice of them. To take three wickets in four overs was such a great feeling and I really enjoyed the occasion – I just couldn’t stop smiling throughout the whole match.

I also can’t believe how well I batted – I think it was my best ever score in a Twenty20 match. My favourite shot was my six off Albie Morkel. I thought I would surprise him by trying to hit him straight over his head and I don’t think I could have connected with it better.

Looking back on the event, I think we have shown that we have the potential to compete against some of the Full Members, and it is just a shame that we didn’t qualify for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 as I think with another year to improve we could have surprised a few teams.

I have already been asked a few times what my favourite moment of the event was. Although there was lots to choose from I think getting Jacques Kallis, who I think is one of the greatest players in the history of the game, with my first ball of the match is a moment that I will remember forever.

So what do we need to improve? We all obviously need to get more experience at playing against the best teams in the world on a more regular basis. We have shown what we have been able to do in these two matches and with more regular exposure to top quality batters and bowlers then we can get better.

We also need to continue to play more cricket, in all formats of the game, and so while our focus in the past few months has very much been on Twenty20 cricket, we want to go and develop our games playing four-day cricket. We are currently top of the table in the ICC Intercontinental Cup, the first-class competition for the leading Associate and Affiliate, which has been really good for us in improving our games, and it is one of our priorities to win that tournament this year.

To try and become the best non-Test playing country in the world we need to prove that we can win titles on a regular basis and not just in the Twenty20 format of the game. That is why we will all be taking our preparation for the ICC World Cricket League Division 1, which is in early July in Amsterdam, very seriously. A lot of our opponents will be preparing for the ICC Cricket World Cup so we need to show that we are capable of matching those teams in the 50-over game.

It has been a wonderful adventure to come to the Caribbean, play teams like India and South Africa, score some runs and take some wickets, and I am certain this isn’t the last you have heard of Afghanistan cricket!

Japan captain and opener Ema Kuribayashi played an outstanding innings on the second day of the 2010 Pepsi ICC EAP Women's Cricket Trophy to set up a 93-run victory over Samoa.

Kuribayashi faced the first ball of the innings, and was left not-out on 78 from 158 balls at the compulsory closure after 50 overs.

The left-handed opener displayed a mixture of patience, class and excellent running between the wickets to help Japan post a competitive total.

Former New Zealand representative Katrina Keenan also played a vital role in the middle order, showing outstanding discipline to contribute 21 from 69 balls to help Japan to 169-8 from its 50 overs.

In reply, Samoa began poorly, losing opener Tina Macumber in the very first over, before slumping to 28-6 in the 16th over.

The Japanese attack was relentless with its line and length, continually beating the outside edge, and coupled with a disciplined and enthusiastic fielding effort, was never in danger of losing the match.

Opener Kurumi Ota bowled accurately and with pace to grab two early wickets, while Katrina Keenan (2-10) and Kuribayashi also bowled well.

Japan and PNG will now play off on day three for the chance to move through to the final, while the loser will play in the preliminary final on Day 4 against Samoa.

Day One

Papua New Guinea eased to a strong 33-run victory over Samoa.

PNG won the toss and elected to bat on a fine and sunny day at Sano Cricket Ground, with Samoa taking the field for the very first time in a Regional ICC Women's Event.

The Samoans were confident of a good showing in this tournament, stemming from their 3-0 defeat of Fiji in the qualifier in February. Samoa began brilliantly, with star opening bowler Lily Mulivai taking a return catch early on to dismiss the talented Norma Ovasuru. This was followed by two more quick wickets to Fou Charteris and Julia Vito, and PNG were struggling at 36-3.

Samoa continued to apply pressure, however, thanks to some disciplined batting from Mabel Igo (27) and Ura Rigana (33), PNG scored steadily, eventually reaching a competitive 126 from 35 overs.

Samoa, with several overseas-based stars, had the target score of 127 well within their sights. While the innings began slowly, extras began to mount and Samoa reached the lunch break at 33-1, needing just 94 more runs to win with nine wickets in hand.

Unfortunately, opener Tina Macumber fell in the first over after the lunch break, caught behind from the bowling of Pauke Siaka. Samoa's middle order continued to battle away against an extremely tight spell from the PNG bowlers. But when star bat and captain Melinda Hodgson was knocked over for 14, PNG gained plenty of confidence.

Lily Mulivai was patient in the lower order, but the consistency of the PNG bowling attack was the difference in the end. Samoa were eventually dismissed 33 runs short for 94.

Player of the Match Kila Leka (4-10 from six overs) and Boni David (2-19 from 10 overs) were the best performers for PNG.

Hamid Hassan

We have spent the last couple of days in Barbados and preparations for our match against South Africa are going well.

This evening we will train under the lights at the venue and I am really looking forward to seeing the ground for the first time. We have actually played quite a bit of cricket under floodlights in Sharjah, which is where we prepared for the tournament, so that doesn’t worry us. In fact, I love the atmosphere of playing an evening game.

We are excited about taking on South Africa and having the opportunity to play against the likes of Dale Steyn and Jacques Kallis. At the end of the game I would really like to ask Graeme Smith for a photo with him and I might even ask whether I can get his shirt and his autograph for a good friend, who is a big fan of his.

We all watched South Africa’s match against India and I think that we picked up a few new things that will be helpful in our efforts to beat them.

I have really enjoyed being in Barbados so far. Our hotel is located right next to the beach, so I really like that, and there are lots of shops that you can go and walk to.

The weather here is sunny, but much cooler than St Lucia, and there has also been quite a bit of wind, so it would be interesting to see how that will affect the playing conditions in comparison to our first match.

Since our match against India lots of people seem to be recognising us and people keep coming up asking for photographs and autographs and to wish us luck which is really nice.

There has also been a lot of media attention, which we’re not used to, so we actually staged a pretend press conference the other day, just for fun, to practice dealing with questions from the media. I sat behind the front table with Raees Ahmadzai and some of the other players pretended to be journalists and asked us questions. It was really funny!

Thank you to everybody for their messages and hopefully we can build on the performance against India tomorrow.

Hamid Hassan

It is hard to describe how I feel after our match against India. I am very proud of our team and the fact we gave a good account of ourselves in our opening match on the world stage. However, we do feel a bit disappointed that we didn’t play a bit better and that makes us even more determined to do well against South Africa in our next match.

At every tournament we have played in our extraordinary journey over the past couple of years, we have always learned from our mistakes, and I really hope that we can do this again, although it is obviously a lot harder when you are playing against the best in the world.

We lost against Singapore in World Cricket League Division 5 and went on to win the tournament, we were defeated by Uganda in Division 3 and also lifted the trophy there, and recovered from some early defeats at the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier in 2009 to come within touching distance of qualifying for that event. We are serious when we say we want to go and beat South Africa and qualify for the last eight of this competition.

We did find the batting conditions a bit difficult early on and obviously it was a challenge to deal with some of the Indian pace bowlers, who are much quicker than what we are used to facing.

It would have been interesting to see what may have happened if India had lost the toss and had to bat first, but I thought Noor Ali batted brilliantly to score a half-century. It was just a shame we lost too many wickets towards the end, as at one stage we did look like we were going to get a bigger score.

I thought Shapoor Zadran bowled really well and I was also pleased with my efforts. I just focused on trying to bowl a good length, vary my pace, and tried to bowl as many dot balls as I could manage. Although I was obviously pleased to get a wicket, it was just unfortunate the match had pretty much been lost by that stage.

We have obviously been used to playing in front of some big crowds before, particularly at the qualifier for this event when we had thousands of Afghans cheering us on in Dubai, but I don’t think I have ever played in an atmosphere quite like the one in St Lucia today.

The music is blaring from the PA system, there are people screaming and dancing, there are lots of musical instruments and it looks like people are having a party in stands!

One of the other major differences is that I had never played a match where they show the game live on the big screen in the ground with video replays. When I dropped my catch I just couldn’t help looking at the screen again, to see what went wrong. At least if I dropped a catch when I was playing in the World Cricket League Division 5, I wouldn’t have to watch it being shown over and over again to everybody, so there are some disadvantages in us becoming famous!

It was great to receive messages from friends, family and supporters, telling us how they thought we had done really well. It is crazy to think how passionate our supporters are when most of them would never have had a chance to see us play until today. I hope we did them proud.

We may have lost, but we all tried our hardest, and I will never ever forget the day when I played for my country against India at the ICC World Twenty20.