Africa is likely to have its own continental tournament in the near future. Cassim Suliman, the CEO of the Africa Cricket Association is understood to be organising a tournament involving South Africa A, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Uganda, Namibia and possibly a combined Africa team.

Africa is the only one of the ICC's development regions not to have its own biennial tournament for non-Test nations. The proposed event would not be the long awaited World Cricket League Africa Division One event. Officials from Namibia and Tanzania had recently told Cricinfo they saw no need for the latter as their national teams already had sufficient tournament play. Namibia also plays in the United Cricket Board amateur three-day and one-day competitions.

When Cricinfo contacted Suliman this week, he was travelling in Asia and unable to confirm the reports of plans for the tournament or elaborate on specific detail.

Dwayne Leverock, the burly left-arm spinner that flew to fame during the 2007 World Cup, has come out of international retirement to join Bermuda's squad for the Intercontinental Shield game against UAE next month.

Leverock, 38, became an one of the few positive icons from a maligned tournament in the Caribbean when he hurled his generous frame at slip to take a stunning one-handed catch and dismiss Indian batsman Robin Uthappa.

After Bermuda failed to qualify for the 2011 World Cup in Asia during qualifiers in South Africa last year, Leverock announced his international retirement but stayed within the game by captaining club side Southampton Rangers. Now he is a surprise inclusion in the 25-strong squad that Bermuda national coach David Moore says he wants to form the basis of his team for the next year.

"He's made himself available," said Moore. "He approached me about being involved. He told me that he was interested in being part of the programme and that's where we are at the moment. We'll just see how he goes, how he trains, and so on, but it's good to have him back in the squad, although the competition is quite stiff from the likes of Rodney Trott and Joshua Gilbert."

The squad will be trimmed to 15 players for the four-day Intercontinental Shield match against UAE which starts on July 5.

Kenyan cricket has experienced more than its fair share of setbacks in the past decade, but ever since Sharad Ghai and his ilk were removed from office in 2005, things have been slowly improving. Until today.

News that the side had refused at the 11th hour to travel to England for a short tour arranged by supporters in Lancashire was not only incredibly rude to the volunteers who had organised it, but also showed a complete lack of understanding for the realities of the wider world. Financially, it is estimated to have left Cricket Kenya $50,000 out of pocket; the damage to Kenya cricket is considerably higher.

Five years ago Kenya's reputation internationally was mud. It has slowly recovered and the players are better rewarded than they have ever been. Their salaries, low by international standards, nonetheless dwarf the average of their countrymen. They also get perks such as medical insurance.

If the decision to boycott the tour was surprising, when you look at who was involved the motives become clearer.

Not one of the four people 'representing' the players is close to the national side. Kennedy Otieno, who once retired in a fit of pique after being dropped, has not played for a year and was unlikely to ever again; Steve Tikolo, still a good player but well past his best, walked out on the national side earlier this year and then tried to dictate unacceptable terms for a return; and then Maurice Odumbe, a convicted match-fixer who while once a genuinely good cricketer brought shame on his country. The fourth - Isaiah Odhiambo - he has no playing pedigree at all at it is unclear why he is involved

Their motives appear utterly selfish and they are willing to use the national side to achieve their aims. In short, they appear to want to gain control of the game in the country even though they have no experience of doing so. Otieno and Tikolo have been at loggerheads with a board who unlike the old days refuse to play by their rules; Tikolo's brother was also replaced as CEO at the end of 2009 after money went missing.

And then there is Odumbe. The problem is inside Kenya he still has a reputation based on his on-pitch record. But to get a more accurate picture, read Justice Ahmed Ebrahim's conclusion after his match-fixing hearing in 2004. That he was involved in this will set alarm bells ringing within the ICC.

Kenya have underperformed for several years and the players are in no position to make unreasonable demands. In a world where Associates have to scrap for recognition and credibility, their indefensible actions will have caused considerable harm to the game inside the country.

Cricket Kenya must stand firm. The first thing it needs to do is fire Maurice Ouma as captain. By not backing the selectors - indeed, the 'representatives' have called for the head of the chief selector amid other scattergun attacks on the board - he has undermined his own position.

And then there are Tikolo, Odumbe and Otieno,. It is a shame that three superb careers have reached this point, but they ought to be sent packing. CK should refuse to deal with them as it is almost implausible they have got involved simply because they worry about a squad to which they do not belong.

Then the remainder of the players should be approached and invited to negotiate. Before anyone shouts foul, that is not manipulation. An employer has a right to speak to its employees, especially when it believes those employees are being misled.

If the individuals refuse then they should be sent on their way. It's not as if there are people queuing at the door to offer them lucrative overseas contracts. Nor have their collective on-field performances been so good as to render them irreplaceable.

To finally banish the ghosts of the past, CK has to be firm. The time for conciliation is over.

ICC Americas Division Four Twenty20

Mexico 130 for 8 (Gupta 57*) beat Falkland Islands 101 for 9 (Collins 22, Marlor 20) by 29 runs

Costa Rica 165 for 5 (Crisp 56, Smith 52) beat Falkland Islands 100 (Crisp 2 for 6) by 65 runs

Mexico will meet Costa Rica in the final of the Americas Division Four Twenty20 event today after both teams won their matches against the Falkland Islands.

The Falklands were forced to play two matches in the same day because of travel issues; there is only one flight a week from Mexico to the Falkland Islands. Although they ended the day winless, they didn’t go down without a fight.

In the day’s first game, Mexico won the toss and elected to bat in very overcast conditions. While the 50-over game against the same opponents was a runaway victory for the hosts, the first T20 between the two teams was much closer.

The Falklands restricted Mexico to 130 for 8 from their 20 overs. That they got even that far was thanks to their captain Tushar Gupta, who made an unbeaten 57 after coming in at number seven. With five overs remaining, Mexico was struggling at 75 for 5, but the Falkland bowlers allowed Gupta to seize the initiative.

In reply, only three Falkland batsmen got into double figures: Martin Collins, with 22 from 29 balls, Richard Marlor, who was 20 not out from 24 balls, and David Hewitt, who crawled to 11 from 27 balls, as the tourists finished with 101 for 9 in their 20 overs.

Costa Rica dominated the second game, quickly dispelling any thoughts the Falklands may have had of duplicating their 50-over triumph. A century second wicket partnership between David Crisp, 56 runs from 38 balls, and Ben Smith, 52 runs from 37 balls, laid the foundation. Chris Prasad chipped in at the end of the innings with 19 runs from 9 balls, as the Costa Ricans piled up 165 for the loss of five wickets.

That target was never in reach for the Falklands, and they eventually folded for 100 with 4.1 overs remaining. Crisp took 2 for 6 to go with his half-century and was duly named man of the match.

The Falkland Islands will next play in a triangular tournament in Fife in the United Kingdom in July.

WCL Americas Region Division Four

Mexico 242 (Sharma 72, Ahuja 53, Sherman 41; Clapp 5 for 34) beat Falkland Islands 31 (Collina 8*; Gupta 6 for 13, Sharma 2 for 10) by 211 runs

Mexico clinched the ICC Americas WCL Division 4 title with a resounding victory over the Falkland Islands by 211 runs on Thursday at the Reforma Athletic Club in Naucalpan, Mexico.

The Falklands won the toss and elected to field, perhaps to give their batsmen time to recover from the celebrations following their victory over Costa Rica a day earlier. However, Falkland’s fielders struggled from the outset, dropping ten catches in the first twenty overs alone.

Given so many opportunities, Mexico threatened to post a mammoth total, reaching 153 for 2 in the 25th over. But the Falkland bowlers led by Kevin Clapp struck back to dismiss Mexico for 242 in 44 overs. Clapp bowled his slow drifters from the southern end with great effect to claim career-best figures of 5 for 34 for from six overs.

The Mexican innings was built around the top four batsmen: Tarun Sharma led the way with 72 from 84 balls, smashing a total of 12 fours. He got good support from Kaushal Ahuja, who made 53 from 38 balls, with his fifty coming of just 35 balls, and Roger Sherman, who made 41 from 60.

Chasing a big total requires a carefully executed plan, but the Falkland batsmen appeared uncertain about what was required of them. With rain looming, none of the bastmen reached double figures as the Falklands were bowled out inside twenty overs. Tushar Gupta, the Mexican captain, took 6 for 13 with his left arm spin, bamboozling the Falkland’s batsmen and securing the championship for the host team.

WCL Americas Region Division Four

Falkland Islands 131 (Pickup 24, Smith 4-32) beat Costa Rica 92 (Smith 24, Taylforth 6-14) by 39 runs


The Falkland Islands blew Costa Rica away on the second day of the Americas Division Four competition at the Reforma Athletic ground in Mexico City on Tuesday. A devastating spell of medium-pace bowling from Falkland Islands’ David Taylforth caused all the damage, as he picked up 6 for 14 and wrapped up the game with a four-wicket maiden which included a hat-trick.

The day started with the Costa Ricans winning the toss and electing to field in cloudy conditions. In the third over, Sam Arthur bowled Falkland Islands’ opening batsman Mike Summers for just 2. Martin Collins then came to the crease and he faired a little better before he too was bowled the same bowler and Falkland Islands were up against it.

The Falkland’s batsmen came to the wicket and left with great regularity and only Charles Hewitt, with a painstaking 21 from 50 balls, and David Pickup, with 24 runs from 53 balls, made any effort to occupy the crease.

The Falkland’s innings folded for 131 runs with 11.3 overs remaining and the game looked all but lost at this stage. Ben Smith returned 4 for 32 from 10 overs to go with his century the day before. He was supported by Tim Baker who took 3 for 29 and Sam Arthur with 2 for 15.

Playing in their first tournament of any kind, Falkland Islands never gave up hope, and the spirit in the team was further lifted in the first over when Taylforth had Tim Baker caught by Collins without a run on the board. Smith threatened to take the game away from Falkland Islands but he went, brilliantly caught at mid-off, to leave the Costa Ricans on 44 for 2.

The Falkland players went to lunch believing they could conjure up an upset and set up a decider with the hosts in Wednesday's game. After lunch the game swayed back and forth until the 29th over. With Costa Rica poised at 92 for 6 and still in need of 39 runs for victory, Falkland Islands needed a hero, and he duly stepped up.

In what one spectator described as the most exhilarating finish to a cricket game, captain and Man-of-the-Match Taylforth came back into the attack from the northern end of the ground, and with his first ball of the over he had Richard Illingworth caught at gully by Ian Betts.

This encouraged Falkland Islands to go on the offensive with two slips, two men in the gully and the rest of the fielders inside the circle. The second ball of the over brought Garth Tweedale forward only to be snapped up by Richard Marlor at one of the two gullies.

This brought in Gary Sheriff with Taylforth on a hat-trick and a perfect, swinging delivery saw Sheriff groping forward and again Marlor in the gully did the honours. The Falkland Islanders jumped and screamed with delight for captain Taylforth but also at the sight of a well-deserved victory.

The fourth ball was a dot ball to last man, Armando Foster, but the fifth was just short of a length and Foster went back but could not keep his hand down. The ball took the glove and looped to Marlor waiting in the same position as the previous two catches. Costa Rica’s innings ended with the score at 92 to give Falkland Islands victory by 39 runs.

Americas Division Four

Mexico 187 for 7 (Garrity 34, Sharma 45, Baker 3-43, Prasad 2-57) beat Costa Rica 186 (Smith 104, Crisp 11; Gupta 5-32) by three wickets

Mexico beat Costa Rica by three wickets with more than 14 overs to spare in the opening game of the Americas Division Four tournament in Mexico City on Sunday.

This was despite the efforts of Man-of-the-Match, Ben Smith, who hit 104 from 127 balls to provide the base for Costa Rica's 186 from 46.5 overs. Smith struck two sixes and 12 boundaries in his stay which lasted for all but the first four balls of the Costa Rican innings. Smith entered in the first over when Barry Ashworth was bowled, and flourished while all around him succumbed to Tushar Gupta (5 for 32) and Tarun Sharma (2 for 28 from 10 overs).

At one stage, Costa Rica were 13 for 4 and then 41 for 5 before Richard Illingworth and Sam Arthur survived long enough with Smith to enable 34 for the sixth wicket and 47 for the seventh wicket to be added. Garth Tweedale (10) and David Crisp (11) were the only batsmen apart from Smith to reach double figures, however their contributions and 36 wides were enough for Costa Rica to reach 186 from 46.5 overs.

Mexico began their run chase in an attacking mindset, notching 59 in nine overs before losing James Garrity who was bowled after hitting 34 in 30 balls including five fours. When Tarundeep Singh was caught by Ashworth for a solid 33, Mexico were 91 for 3 after 17 overs – on target in terms of run-rate but in need of a partnership of substance.

That came from Tarun Sharma (45 from 58 balls including a six and four boundaries) who put on 51 with Theodore Wucherpfennig (14). Cameos from Hugh van Belle (14 from 13 balls) and Roger Sherman (23 from 21 balls) allowed Mexico to ease home with 14.5 overs to spare. Tim Baker was Costa Rica's main wicket-taker, removing Mexico's first three in returning 3 for 43.

On Tuesday, Falkland Islands play their first match against Costa Rica.

Three countries, Mexico, Costa Rica and Falkland Islands make their official debuts at the Americas World Cricket League Division Four tournament in Mexico City this week.

Although their representative teams have been active playing in informal tournaments such as the Central American Championships, this is the first ICC event Mexico and Costa Rica have taken part in. Most recently, Costa Rica played a Colombian XI in April in Bogota while Mexico visited Brazil for a friendly series last July.

It will be a case of going from famine to feast for Falkland Islands, who break their isolation in this tournament and soon after head to Falkland in Fife in the United Kingdom. From July 19 to 24 they will be one of three locations called Falkland to play in a triangular series. The others are Falkland (Fife) and Falkland (Newbury, Berkshire).

Only close followers of Mexican and Costa Rican cricket might be aware cricket in both countries dates back to the 19th century. Both countries have four-team leagues. Mexico has a handful of locally born players while Costa Rica has a couple, that is apart from Limon players who are descendants of West Indians who came to the country in the 1800s to work on the Limon-San Jose railway.

As is becoming the fashion at non-Test tournaments, a Twenty20 event has been added and will follow the 50-over one-day matches.

The venue is the Reforma Club, which apart from its own lush turf wicket, also has a football pitch and tennis courts.

50-overs tournament
Monday, June 14 - Costa Rica v Mexico
Tuesday, June 15 - Falkland Islands v Costa Rica
Wednesday, June 16 - Mexico v Falkland Islands

Twenty20 tournament
Thursday, June 17 - Falkland Islands v Mexico; Costa Rica v Mexico
Friday, June 18 - Mexico v Costa Rica

Tanzania have begun preparations for the World Cricket League Division Four tournament in Italy in August by playing six 50-over matches in Mombasa against various Kenyan selections.

They notched their sole win of the brief tour in the first game against a Coast Cricket Association Select XI by 243 runs. The match was the first of a triangular, also featuring a Nairobi Select XI.

Former national Under-19 opener, Sefy Khalifa, showed promise in scoring two half-centuries, while Kassim Nasoro showed why he's a key member of the Tanzanian attack, taking 5 for 29 in the first of the three-match series against the Kenya Select XI. The home team won the series, which followed the triangular, 3-0.

Mombasa Triangular Series

Tanzania 297 for 8 (Khalifa 57, Seth 49, Nassoro 43, Kiseto 32, Amiri 50 not out; Patel 2 for 34, Thakar 2 for 62) beat
Coast CA Select XI 54 (Sulemanjee 12; Ramaiah 5 for 14, Kiseto 2 for 5) by 243 runs

Nairobi Select XI 138 for 8 (20ov.) (F Otieno 36, Kul 39; Ramaiya 2 for 19, Kiseto 2 for 29) beat Tanzania 129 for 7 (20ov.) (Khalifa 33, Kiseto 24; N Odhiambo 2 for 16, Shah 2 for 21) by nine runs

Nairobi Select XI 290 for 8 (Kituku 44, Thampy 50, Onyango 36*, Ngoche 32*; Sulemanjee 3 for 28; Kotecha 3 for 61) beat
Coast CA Select XI 151 for 7 (Sawjani 28, Sulemanjee 29; Patel 3 for 31) by 139 runs

Kenya Select XI v Tanzania

Kenya Select XI 192 (F Otieno 54, Wesonga 55; Nassoro 5 for 29, Mwita 3 for 33) beat Tanzania 145 (Khalifa 54, Kiseto 21, Amiri 26; Oluoch 4 for 16, Shikotra 2 for 21) by 47 runs

Kenya Select XI 247 for 6 (Kituku 89, Anjere 40, Odhiambo 35; Ramaiya 2 for 28) beat Tanzania 205 (Kikasi 45, Kiseto 22, Mwita 32; Odhiambo 3 for 37, Patel 2 for 15, Oluoch 2 for 38) by 42 runs

Kenya Select XI 240 for 9 (Kituku 82, Wesonga 48, Anjere 41 not out; Kiseto 2-44, Mwita 2 for 44) beat
Tanzania 156 (Kikasi 29, Nassoro 32; Thampy 3 for 31, Ngoche 2 for 19, Patel 2 for 21) by 84 runs

Kabul 163 for 4 beat Paktia 162

Kabul have won Afghanistan's first national title, emerging victorious in the final of the Etilsalat Trophy inter-provincial tournament against Paktia by six wickets and 11 overs to spare on Thursday at the National Youth Cricket Ground.

In home conditions, Kabul won the toss and opted to bowl.

Paktia’s openers added 39 in 10 overs before Aftab Alam dismissed Ghami. Paktia stumbled to 55 for four before Abdul Wahab stabilised the innings. However, when he was dismissed, Kabul were on top, having restricted Paktia to 94 for five in 32.1 overs.

Alam and Kabul captain Noor-ul-Haq had taken wickets regularly for their team, denying Paktia any chance of increasing their run-rate. Rokhan routed Paktia's late order, and helped bowl them out for 162.

Kabul began the chase in positive style,racing to 32 for no loss from the first three overs. Although a couple of maiden overs had slowed Kabul's tempo, they had still reached 54 from 10 overs before Afsar Zazai was trapped in front by Hamid to give Paktia their first wicket.

Security guards took positions around the boundary, as the crowd began to grow restless in anticipation of a victory. There was a moment of anxiety when captain Noor-ul-Haq heaved a delivery from Rahmat Shah Zurmati to point to give Paktia some hope.

Imran Khan Stanikzai, though, continued to dominate for Kabul, propelling his team to 102 for two from 20 overs. By the time Fazel Niazai had Imran caught-behind, Kabul needed just 46 runs from 24 overs.

Although one more wicket was lost, Kabul reached the required 162 with 11 overs to spare.

Afghanstan's main domestic event, the Etisalat Trophy 50-over Interprovincial tournament reaches its climax on Thursday when Kabul meets Paktia in the final at Kabul's National Youth Cricket Ground.

Kabul, which is believed to mainly feature players from other provinces, qualifed with a convincing 159 run semi-final win over Panjshir, while Paktia eased past Laghman by three wickets with 2.2 overs remaining to earn their place. Batting first, Kabul posted 225 for eight from their 50 overs before skittling Panjshir for just 66. Paktia bowled out Laghman for a credible 223 all out from 48.1 overs then continued its solid batting in this tournament getting home for the loss of seven wickets.

Both Kabul and Paktia won four matches to reach the final. Players wore coloured clothing throughout the tournament which was shown live on Afghan television.

Meanwhile, a meeting between Afghanistan Cricket Board officials and discontented members of the national team has resulted in the inclusion of Dawlat Ahmadzai at the expense of Murad Ali for the ICC World Cricket League Division One tournament in Netherlands next month.

It is not known whether the future of the CEO, Dr Aimal Shenwari or Chief Selector, Dr Hamid Shenwari has been settled. The players had threatened to boycott the tournament if the pair retained their positions.

The Mali Cricket Federation has finally acquired an official cricket ground. The ground is located in Bamako, on the right bank of the Niger a few kilometres from the centre of the capital. The ground is big enough to have two cricket fields, along with the necessary pavilion and player facilities. The president of FeMaCrik, Tidane Fofana, said the next step will be to start building at the ground.

Uganda coach Mohammed Ebrahim Barney has re-called former Under-19 captain Hamza Almuzahim and batsman Nandikishore Patel in the hope of boosting the national side’s fragile batting line-up as Uganda begin preparations for their ICC Intercontinental Shield four-day game against Namibia, which starts on September 18.

Almuzahim has returned to Uganda from England and has recovered from the injury problems that curtailed his semi-professional stint at Bourton Vale CC in North London.

Uganda are currently at the top of the points table in the competition with 29, but Namibia are only three points behind them and recently crushed Bermuda by an innings and 185 runs at Wanderers Cricket Ground in Windhoek.

“It’s nice to have Hamza back in the squad,” said Barney. “He is rated highly. I saw him bat and he is the sort of guy who can drive the ball well down the ground. Nandi also has a proven record and his inclusion will be key. But these two have to prove themselves.”

The provisional squad of 20 is currently training at Lugogo. Uganda will also play Namibia in a series of Twenty20 and limited-overs games after their Intercontinental Shield encounter.

The Cuban cricket team will not be participating in the Americas Division Four tournament due to government interference.

It was scheduled to play in the Americas Division Four tournament in Mexico City from June 12 to 18 but has reportedly been prevented from leaving the country. "Cuba declined the invitation due to travel restrictions by their authorities," ICC Americas Development Manager, Martin Viera, advised CricInfo.

The event will now be contested between Mexico, Falkland Islands and Costa Rica who will all be playing in their first official international tournament.

Cuba were to make an international debut of sorts in the 2008 Stanford 20/20 tournament before an embargo by the US Government blocked their involvement.

	The strike had threatened to boycott the tour of Netherlands in July © Getty Images

A crisis meeting between the Afghanistan Cricket Federation and national team players has agreed to establish a four-member group of "impartial" persons to find and present a solution to several of the players’ grievances in "three or four days time" to the ACF chairman, Hazrat Omer Zakhailwal.

The agreement has averted a strike, for now at least, by the majority of the leading Afghanistan national players who had threatened to boycott the ICC World Cricket League Division One tournament in Netherlands from July 1-10, unless several conditions were met.

These had included the replacement of either the CEO, Dr Aimal Shenwari or Chief Selector, Dr Hamid Shenwari with Raees Ahmadzai, a long term member of the national team who recently retired from Twenty 20 and multi-day cricket.

The main cause of disenchantment was a belief within the team the ACF's CEO, Dr Aimal Shenwari and the Chief Selector, Dr Hamid Shenwari’s backgrounds did not provide them with sufficient knowledge about the game to carry out their positions.

Discontent within the team began festering shortly after the World Twenty20 last month. Allrounder Ahmadzai announced his retirement from Twenty20 and multi-day cricket for the national team, allegedly on the understanding a position within the ACF related to team development would be created for him. This did not eventuate and then Ahmadzai was omitted from the WCL Division One squad, although he had declared his availability for the 50-over squad.

On top of Ahmadzai's omission from the Division One squad was the demotion of Mohammad Nabi, widely regarded as the team's best player, from the vice-captaincy role in favour of the less experienced Mirwais Ashraf. Nabi's demotion is believed to have resulted partly from a disagreement Nabi and Ahmadzai had with ACFofficials and partly from Ashraf's performance in the match against South Africa when he was the team's top scorer with 23 from 22 balls.

The captain, Nowroz Mangal, had told Cricinfo prior to the meeting he was strongly in favour of strike action if Dr. Aimal Shenwari and Dr. Hamid Shenwari retained their posts.

Ugandan women continue to assert their presence in their country’s cricketing circuit. On May 8, six of them took the field with the Abagurusi (elders or veterans) and made such an impression in a close contest that more will feature in a second game at Kyambogo Oval in Kampala on June 5. Mackenzie Ayato, Christine Aryemo, Maureen Asaba, Trudi Namuloondo, Consy Aweko and Gloria Adubu will don the whites in a repeat of the extravaganza.

The Ugandan women’s cricket league is set to begin on June 12 and the teams are undergoing a rigorous routine, also preparing for the regional Under-19s in September and the World Cup Qualifiers in Nairobi in December.

It is also understood that magazine African Woman has commissioned a special feature about the women for its November issue.

The omissions of Raees Ahmadzai and Dawlat Stanikzai and a change of vice-captain are among the surprises in the Afghanistan squad announced this week for the tour of Netherlands in July.

Ahmadzai had recently announced a partial retirement but was still available for selection for limited-overs matches. Allrounder Mirwais Ashraf has replaced Mohammad Nabi as vice-captain for the tour which includes the ICC World Cricket League Division One tournament.

Former Under-19 players, Aftab Alam, wicketkeeper Murad Ali, and right-handed batsman Jawad Ahmed have been included in the squad at a time when some Afghanistan supporters had urged the team receive an infusion of youth to avoid a generation change.

Aftab, a medium-pacer, is a brother of national team players, Karim Sadiq, Hasti Gul Abid and former national team coach, Taj Malik. Alam played two one-day internationals against Canada in February. He is from Nangrarhar Province and plays for Kabul. He recently took six wickets in the ongoing Etisalat Interprovincial tournament.

Murad has played for Afghanistan U-19s for several years. From Faryab Province, he played one match for Afghanistan in the 2007 Asian Cricket Council Twenty20 Cup.

Javed Ahmadi, a right-handed batsman, played in the U-19 World Cup in New Zealand
in January. From Kundoz, he plays for Kabul in the Etisalat Interprovincial tournament.

Squad: Nowroz Mangal (Capt), Mirwais Ashraf (vice-capt),Noor Ali, Karim Sadiq, Mohammad Shahzad, Asghar Stanakzai, Mohammad Nabi, Shabir Noori, Murad Ali, Javed Ahmadi, Hameed Hassan, Shahpoor Zadran, Khalid Dad Noori, Aftab Alam, Samiullah Shenwari