Hamid Hassan came away with mixed memories from the ICC Combined XI match, claiming two key wickets but also needing a trip to hospital

'My body is now pretty spectacular as I have some interesting coloured bruises, some of which are green, yellow and blue' © Getty Images

It has been a fairly eventful few days in Dubai for me, playing for the ICC Combined Associate and Affiliate XI against England, with the high of getting two of the best batsmen in the world out, followed by one of the biggest lows in my career, when I injured myself while fielding, which ruled me out of the rest of the game.

Day two of the match had started so well for me. I felt I was bowling quickly and accurately against England’s top order and was just trying to concentrate on not giving the batsmen any room. Hopefully the person who updates the statistics on Cricinfo will have been watching and will change my style of bowling to fast, rather than just medium-fast, on my player profile.

It was an amazing feeling to dismiss Andrew Strauss and Jonathan Trott and I felt I was capable of taking quite a few more wickets.

However, just as I was beginning to really enjoy myself, I then suffered my horrendous injury. I can remember running down to the boundary to try and stop a ball that had been hit by Alastair Cook and then suddenly realising the fence was getting near me, trying to jump over it, only to catch my leg, which brought me down to the ground. This meant I hit the tracks that they move the sightscreen on really heavily.

After that I think I must have blanked out, as my next memory is opening my eyes and feeling the pain in my legs – I couldn’t move them at all – and so I just lay on my back, with lots of people gathering around me to tell me to relax, keep calm, and not move. I then got carried off on a stretcher and was taken to hospital where I had a series of x-rays, which thankfully revealed no permanent damage, although that didn’t mean it has stopped hurting since.

My body is now pretty spectacular as I have some interesting coloured bruises, some of which are green, yellow and blue, but thankfully the doctors have said that after two weeks rest, I will be fine to resume training and so I should be on track to play against Pakistan next month in our ODI game at Sharjah.

I am really proud of the way the 12 players picked for the game did in representing the Associate and Affiliate world against the best test team in the world and I was following every ball on the internet from my hotel room once I came back from hospital.

I am particularly proud of my fellow countryman, with Mohammad Shahzad scoring half-centuries in both innings, and Mohammad Nabi bowling so well.

It made me so disappointed that I wasn’t on the field with the rest of the guys today as when England needed 60 to win with four wickets left, that would have been my perfect time to bowl and I think I could have won us the game with my yorkers, especially if the ball was reversing, but all our bowlers did really well.

It has made me extra determined to help Afghanistan qualify for the ICC World Twenty20 2012, as one of the qualifiers will get the chance to play against England in the group stages. It would be nice to have the chance to finish the job that I started and get the chance to beat England this year.

The overall experience this week, training and playing alongside some great players against some of the world’s finest, was an amazing one, and I feel I have learnt so much from the team coaches.

I really hope that there is another chance for the ICC Combined Associate/Affiliate XI to play against other Test teams, as I think we have shown we are good enough to compete, and perhaps one day even play a match with Test status. That would be like a dream for me.

Hamid Hassan is looking forward at another chance to impress © Getty Images

Hamid Hassan writes about his excitement in being selected for the ICC Combined XI to play England

It has been a brilliant first few days in Dubai preparing for the ICC Combined Associate and Affiliate XI match against England on Saturday. We have worked really hard in our training camp and it has been great to spend some time with some really good players from outside the Test playing world.

We were sitting in the changing rooms earlier and we were talking about how funny it is for us all to be on the same team and to make so many good friends, when we are so used to playing against each other and when usually our only interaction is to shake hands at the end of a match. Everybody is very proud to have been selected for this inaugural match and we want to do all of the countries outside of the Test playing world proud with a good performance.

Last year was a bit disappointing for Afghanistan, losing matches that we should have done better in, but hopefully winning the Asian Cricket Council Twenty20 Cup in Nepal in December is a positive sign of things to come.

On a personal level, it was also sad that I continued to struggle with an ankle injury in 2011, but I am confident that I will be able to get through an exciting year of cricket without too many problems.

As well as this match against England, there is also a lot to look forward to in the coming year for my country. Having the chance to play against Pakistan in February is a game that people back home are really looking forward to – I would imagine that it will be very hard to get a ticket for that game, as so many Afghanistan fans living in the UAE will want to come and watch.

In March, we have the ICC World Twenty20 2012 qualifier, which we really want to get through, so that we can show the potential of the Afghanistan team on the world stage again, like we did in the Caribbean back in 2010. Obviously players from many of my main rivals in that event are playing alongside me this week, so it will be a different experience playing against them in March, having got to know them so well through this match.

There are also a number of important Intercontinental Cup matches in 2012 and we obviously want to do well in the 50-over league to have a chance of playing in our first ever World Cup, having come so close to having qualified for the last tournament in 2009.

It is very exciting that we have the chance to play the No. 1 Test team in the world this week, although I don’t really feel any pressure. I am looking forward to the opportunity provided to me by the ICC and my view is that I need to treat this game like any other, and I know if I focus on just bowling well, then I will give myself a better chance of taking wickets, even if I am bowling against some of the greatest players in world cricket.

During my time on the staff with the MCC, a few years ago, I had the opportunity to bowl to some members of the England team in the nets and in practice games, including playing with my hero Andrew Flintoff. Indeed I once got Matt Prior out first ball and I have even broken Monty Panesar’s helmet before with a bouncer in the nets.

I have played quite a bit of club cricket in England and my former team-mates have been sending me some really nice messages on Facebook in the last few days wishing me good luck for the game. I don’t think they can believe they shared a dressing room in club cricket with somebody who will have the chance to play against some of their heroes like Strauss, Bell, Pietersen and Trott this week.

I have always enjoyed playing in the UAE, as we qualified for the World Twenty20 2010 here, we use the country as our main base for matches and I also did very well for the MCC team against Nottinghamshire in Abu Dhabi last April, taking seven wickets in the first-class match and then five wickets in a T20 game, including a hat-trick. The facilities at the ICC Global Cricket Academy are absolutely outstanding and it is a great place to prepare for such a big game.

The weather is ideal for cricket and we all can’t wait to get started on Saturday. Hopefully by doing well in this match we can further the reputations of all Associate and Affiliate players, so that next time I am lining up against England, I am playing for my country in a full ODI or T20 international match.

Pre-tournament favourites Afghanistan will open their ACC Twenty20 Cup campaign with a tough match against Hong Kong on December 3, according to fixtures announced by the Asian Cricket Council.

Group A consists of Afghanistan, Hong Kong, Oman, Kuwait and Maldives, while Group B features the fancied Nepal side along with Malaysia, United Arab Emirates, Bhutan and Saudi Arabia.

The tournament forms part of the qualifying process for ICC World Twenty20 2012 in Sri Lanka. The top three teams from this competition, in addition to Afghanistan who have pre-qualified, join the Associate teams with ODI in the 16-team ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier to be played in the UAE in early 2012.

The other regional teams in the qualifier will come from Europe (2), Africa (2), Americas (2) and East Asia - Pacific (1).

Click here for the full schedule

Afghanistan, Namibia and Papua New Guinea won their games on the final day of the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup Qualifier in Ireland, to book their place in next year's tournament, which will be played in Queensland, Australia. Scotland, Nepal and Ireland, who finished at the top of the points table, had already qualified. These six teams will be joined by the ten Full Members at the World Cup.

Click here for full report

Although Taliban-led insurgency is going on unabated in the war-torn country, Afghan girls and women have been exercising their rights envisaged in the post-Taliban country's constitution.

"I want to be flag bearer in the upcoming competition due in February in Kuwait," said Noshin, a member of Afghan women cricket team.

An energetic Noshin, 19, like many Afghans, uses only one name and attired in sport costume, told Xinhua that "I don't want the conflicts to destroy my dreams and ruin my future. I hate the war."

Noshin like many others, looks ambitious and was playing cricket in Bagh-e-Zanana, the only women park in the capital city Kabul where women even could not go inside during Taliban regime which collapsed in late 2001 by the NATO-led military campaign.

Dozens of women cricket players were busy in playing the game in this January, and the best ones of them will form Women National Cricket Team to compete in Kuwait next month.

Click here for the full article

Hamid Hassan

What a year it has been for Afghanistan cricket! Winning the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier in Dubai in February was a moment I will never forget; having the chance to play India and South Africa at the ICC World Twenty20 in the Caribbean was amazing and beating Pakistan at the Asian Games and securing a silver medal was one of the greatest moments of my career.

Obviously it would have been nice to have won gold but the fact that we pushed Bangladesh so close, particularly a strong team led by somebody as accomplished as Mohammad Ashraful, showed that we deserve a chance to play against the big teams on a more regular basis. We need exposure against some of the top ODI nations if we are to improve, and that is my main wish for 2011.

While the excitement of our Asian Games campaign won’t be forgotten in a hurry, we are all looking forward to our latest challenge, which is to win the ICC Intercontinental Cup against Scotland this week in Dubai. We beat Scotland in the group stages and have enjoyed a good record against them, but we know that we have to play well to beat them.

Although not that many cricket fans know too much about the ICC Intercontinental Cup, I think it is a really important tournament. My game has improved a lot as a result of playing in the tournament and that has helped me in the shorter format as well.

You certainly have to be a lot fitter to last a four-day game and I think that has helped us become a better fielding side as well. The fact that Ireland, who have set the standards in Associate cricket in recent times, have won the previous three titles, shows that you need to be an excellent team to win this trophy.

I am excited that the final is being played over five days as it will be like playing Test cricket, so I am keen to perform well. I think a five-day game makes you work harder to take wickets as there is less pressure on the batsmen to score quickly, so they take less risks.

We have been training at the new ICC Global Cricket Academy, which I am told is where the Pakistan and South Africa players prepared for the recent Test Match in Dubai, and it is an amazing facility. I wish we had something similar back home, but at least things are moving in the right direction in that regard and we are all excited about the building of new cricket stadiums in Kabul and Jalalabad. However, we need to have lots of pitches all over Afghanistan to ensure that in the future we can have the best young players in the world.

We have had our final day of training today ahead of the final starting on Thursday and I am hoping that thousands of Afghans living in Dubai will come and support us like they did at the Twenty20 Qualifier.

To lift another trophy this year would be a special moment for the team and I would quite like to add another medal to my collection.

Bangladesh 119 for 5 (Naeem 34*, Rahman 33*) beat Afghanistan 118 (Stanikzai 38*) by five wickets

Scorecard

Afghanistan fought hard but couldn't overcome Bangladesh © AFP

Bangladesh's cricketers won their country its first-ever gold medal in the Asian Games by beating Afghanistan in a thrilling final in Guangzhou. In a see-saw match that attracted a crowd of 2000, 19-year-old Shabbir Rahman smashed two sixes in the penultimate over to decisively swing the match Bangladesh's way and dash Afghan hopes of a gold.

A day after upsetting fancied Pakistan in the semi-finals, Afghanistan looked set for a hammering when they slid to 66 for 6 in the 13th over on choosing to bat. Youngsters Asghar Stanikzai (38*) and Shabir Noori (25) then gave Afghanistan's chances a boost with a stabilising stand that left Bangladesh needing 120 for victory.

Bangladesh almost made a mess of what should have been a straightforward chase, losing five wickets, including that of their experienced captain Mohammad Ashraful, for 75. Afghanistan were scenting another famous win but were denied by the pair of allrounder Naeem Islam, who is looking to secure a permanent spot in the Bangladesh side, and Rahman, a legspinner who was part of the squad for this year's Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand. With 19 needed off the final two overs, Bangladesh were the underdogs but they clubbed 17 runs of the 19th over from offspinner Karim Sadiq, who had excellent figures of 2-0-10-2 before that, to transform the game.

"I had a good talk with Naeen before the 19th over and we went for it," Shabbir said. "Luckily, it came good. There was no pressure on me, but I am sure my team-mates in the dressing room were tense."

Ashraful admitted he had given up hope towards the end. "I was feeling a bit low but then Shabbir came and did the job for us," he said. "There was a bit of pressure because Afghanistan are a very good side and this was our first major final."

Cricket has been Bangladesh's most productive sporting discipline at the Asian Games so far - besides the men's gold, they have won silver in the women's competition. They have only one other medal in the Asian Games so far, a bronze in kabaddi.

The ICC World Cricket League Division 1 tournament began in Netherlands with Ireland aiming to defend their title, but Afghanistan sensing another trophy.

Scotland prevailed in a nerve-wracking contest against hosts Netherlands, winning off the penultimate ball with one wicket in hand in Amstelveen. Their chase of 235 had been dealt a serious blow when the first six wickets fell for 121, but the lower order set about pulling things back.

Afghanistan put in an admirable batting display to overcome a challenging target of 258 set by Canada in Voorburg. Captain Nawroz Mangal led the charge with an unbeaten 70, off just 58 balls, and the innings was also supported by half-centuries from opener Noor Ali and Mohammad Shahzad. Noor and Shahzad were involved in a 87-run stand, though both fell in quick succession. Afghanistan recovered quickly from those jolts, thanks to an attacking knock from their captain, who ensured victory was achieved with eight balls to spare.

A collective bowling effort and a solid opening performance from Paul Stirling kicked off defending champions Ireland's campaign on a successful note against Kenya in Rotterdam.

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 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.

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

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.

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.

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!

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

The team is in high spirits ahead of our opening match of the World Twenty20.

It will be one of the proudest moments of my life when I stand on the field and listen to the national anthem being played before the match. There may even be a few tears when I am standing with my hand on the chest listening to the music. We actually heard the team practicing the national anthems after we were training and when they finished playing the Afghanistan anthem we all stood and applauded.

I am proud of my team and I know how lucky I am to have the chance to represent my country. We are ambassadors for our nation and to have the chance to play in a world event for Afghanistan against other famous cricket countries is amazing.

It is very exciting that people in Afghanistan will have the chance to watch the game on television – it will be the first live match that I have ever played in. I am really looking forward to the fact that all my friends and family will finally have a chance to watch us in action.

My parents sent me a message today saying that they can’t wait for the game tomorrow. They will be watching the match at home – I think the streets will be very quiet on Saturday night in Afghanistan as everybody will be following the game on television or radio.

It will be a great honour to be on the same pitch as the likes of Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh. There is no Indian player I am particularly looking forward to bowling against but they are all great players. I will just be doing my best to try and bowl some dot balls and try and take some wickets.

I think it is a big advantage that they don’t know anything about us, while obviously we know lots about them as we have watched them all on television a million times and we know how they are going to play.

After training this morning, we had time just to relax this afternoon. My first impressions of St Lucia are that it is an extremely beautiful place and the ground is very nice as well. There won’t be much time for being a tourist as we are here to focus on the cricket and do as well as we can.

In the morning we will have to get up very early, as the game starts at 9.30am, so after praying and breakfast, we will head to the ground. I can’t wait for the action to begin!

Hamid Hassan

After all of our preparation, it is great to finally be in the Caribbean, particularly after all the delays in getting here.

In our rise up the cricket rankings, it had seemed at times that nothing can get in our way, but after the events of the last fortnight it turns out that volcanic ash can! We had been due to arrive in the West Indies for a training camp 10 days ago, but due to all the flight disruptions we ended up having to prepare for the tournament in Sharjah, which was very frustrating.

In our training camp we were very focused on ensuring our preparation was completely focused on Twenty20 cricket. We have a great coach in Kabir Khan and he was helping us learn new shots, as well as improving the way in which we can protect ourselves from being attacked by some of the most aggressive batters.

The journey to the West Indies was very long, as we had to stop in London on the way to get here. It was only the second time in my life that I had flown business class and I really liked the seats on our Emirates plane. I couldn’t sleep much, as I was thinking so much about the coming days, so I watched a couple of movies. It was the first time I had ever seen Avatar, which I really enjoyed, and Night at the Museum, although somebody told me afterwards that I am featured on a programme on the cricket channel so I will have to watch that on the way home.

We had the chance to go into London for a few hours and I went to the London Eye, although I didn’t go on it as I have been there before, and we also walked around Westminster and Piccadilly Circus. Some of the team hadn’t been to London before and Mohammad Shahzad, who is one of our batters, couldn’t believe it when I told him that there is an underground train that goes through London – he thought I was joking, as some of our team had never been on a train before, let alone one below the ground!

A few people at the hotel were really nice as they came up to us and wished us luck – it seems that everybody is getting to know the Afghanistan team now.

I struggled to sleep last night after we arrived late last night and there wasn’t much time to rest this morning as we had some pre-event activities to do this morning which were quite fun. We all had to have our pictures taken and then I had to do a really long interview for television which is something I always enjoy doing.

It was strange having to play a match the day after we had arrived in the country. When I was bowling, my legs felt so heavy, and I was worried that I had lost my pace, but my physio assured me that this is natural when you are jetlagged and that I will be ready for 1st May and the match against India. It was nice to take a couple of wickets, particularly as one of them was a yorker which is my favourite delivery.

We did very well today to beat Ireland, who are a very good team, and Dawlat Ahmadzai showed what a good bowler he is. Although we didn’t start very well in our innings, Mohammad Nabi and Asghar Stanikzai batted really well to take us home to victory.

Although we have played quite a bit of cricket abroad in international tournaments, such as the World Cricket League, apart from playing in Argentina last year we haven’t really played much cricket on this side of the world. It is quite strange to think that while we are playing in the day time here, it is the middle of the night in Afghanistan, although I am sure there were probably lots of people following the scores on the internet.

On Thursday morning we head straight to St Lucia, which we are all very excited about, as we prepare for the biggest match of our lives against India. We will then have a light training session and probably do some swimming tomorrow afternoon, before a final training session on Friday.
I promise to write more ahead of that game, so if you have any questions about the match let me know and I will try to reply to some of them in my next blog.

Tony Munro

Afghanistan has vindicated its raging favouritism for the ACC Trophy Elite title with an emphatic 95-run win over Nepal in the final in Kuwait City on Friday.

A mainly pro-Afghanistan crowd of about 5,000 cheered, banged drums and looked on as the two most passionately supported non-Test countries in Asia contested a final where the ball was dominant over the bat.

All-rounder Binod Das in for Mahaboob Alam was the only change for Nepal, while Afghanistan fielded the same team which beat Hong Kong in the semi-final.

After being sent in on a good batting track which suggested 250 was a par score, Afghanistan started slowly against tight Nepal bowling and fielding. Afghanistan were in early trouble when Noor Ali attempted a suicidal single to Gyanendra Malla who scored with a direct hit. Noor Ali run out for 5 - Afghanistan 1 for 14 after 5.4 overs. Two balls later Afghanistan were 2 for 14 when Mohammad Shahzad was caught behind to a length ball from Das. A period of consolidation followed as Karim Sadiq and captain Nowroz Mangal put on 25 runs in six overs before Nowroz was out. A shot off his legs was mistimed and Anil Mandal took a diving catch at leg - Afghanistan 3-39 and Nepal clearly on top.

Two partnerships then swung the game slightly back to Afghanistan. Karim Sadiq had been there since the start and combined with Mirwais Ashraf (59) for the fourth wicket before Ashraf was caught going for his third six. Afghanistan were 4 for 98 after 25 overs with the game evenly poised. A partnership of 97 in 103 balls between Raees Ahmadzai and Mohammad Nabi at least put Afghanistan in a position where they could look at providing their much vaunted bowlers with something to defend. Afghanistan's 224 all-out was slightly less than expected but a decent reward for a good Nepalese effort in the field. Binod Das's return of 3 for 35 off eight overs was an accurate reflection of good bowling. At this stage, the minority Nepalese contingent in the crowd had reason to feel confident.

Nepal started their innings comfortably enough reaching 16 after three overs. Paceman Mirwais Ashraf who had bowled several wides, had Mahesh Chhettri caught behind for 4 from 15 balls. Two overs later Anil Mandil (5 from 11 balls) was caught at slip to a delivery from Mirwais Ashraf - Nepal 18 for 2 after 5.5 overs and in need of a big partnership. The experienced Shakti Gauchan and Malla tried to consolidate when Gauchan (6 from 23) was induced into giving Nabi at slip a catch off Shahpour Zadran. Nepal were now 28 for 3 and the asking rate was increasing. Skipper Paras Khadka joined Malla and the pair steadily took the score 49 for 3. Malla in particular was batting well in what was obviously a pivotal partnership. Nabi, who has made a habit of playing the game-breaker for Afghanistan, had Khadka caught on his crease for a patient 11 from 30 balls. Sharad Vesawkar and Malla put on 25 off 24 balls when disaster struck. Attempting a quick single, Afghan 'keeper Mohammad Shahzad's throw to to the bowler beat Malla and Nepal were 74 for 5 from 23.3 overs. Although Vesawkar rallied with Das and Sanjam Regmi to add 40 late runs, it was inevitable the mainly Afghan crowd of around 5000 would be celebrating their first ACC Trophy Elite title. Nepal was all-out for 140 from 40 overs. Raees Ahmadzai won the Man-of-the-Match award for his crucial 52 from 64 balls as Afghanistan won by 96 runs.

At the Unity ground next door, Hong Kong held off a determined Malaysia to win the third/fourth place play-off match.

Batting first after winning the toss fifties for Roy Lamsam, Ilyas Gul and Nizakat Khan helped Hong Kong recover from 4 for 2 to post 251 from the 50 overs. It was a tumultuous start for Hong Kong, losing Nasir Hameed and Hussain Butt within the first five overs. A 110-run third wicket partnership steadied the ship with Lamsam patiently working his way to 50 off 114 balls. He eventually fell to Hassan Ghulam but the relief was short lives for Malaysia as Khan came in and smashed an unbeaten 72 from 46 balls. Gul was run out for 72 but some lusty hitting from Najeeb Amar carried the total past 250.

Malaysia had done well to restrict Hong Kong to a manageable score and they looked in total control when the openers put on 77 for the first wicket. Faris Almas stroked the ball nicely on his way to 42 but his wicket, off the bowling of Amar, ushered a mini-collapse as Malaysia slipped to 103 for 3. Rakesh Madhavan was still going sublimely and found useful support from Suresh Navaratnam (22) and Shafiq Sharif (24) on his way to 129 off 137 balls, but it wasn’t quite enough as they finished seven runs short.

Tony Munro

A new country will have its name added to the list of ACC Trophy Elite winners when Afghanistan plays Nepal in the final on Friday.

Afghanistan comfortably beat defending champions Hong Kong by five wickets in one semi-final while Nepal held off a brave chase by Malaysia to win by eight runs in the other.

Mohammad Nabi maintained his reputation as Afghanistan's best player to earn the Man-of-the-Match award taking 3 for 35 and then contributing 35 not out in another good all-round performance.

Nabi ended the innings of Hong Kong's top scorer, Hussein Butt (63) to help restrict Hong Kong to 205 all-out in 48.1 overs. Butt had smashed three sixes and four fours in his 113-ball innings. Butt's removal at 152 for 5 in the 40th over stymied his team's momentum which was further slowed when Nabi dismissed Moner Ahmed (18 off 17 including a four and a six).

Afghanistan began their chase of 206 in rollicking fashion scoring at six runs an over, although were precariously placed when captain Nowroz Mangal was bowled by Moner Ahmed for 1. The Afghans were 4 for 89 after 13.1 overs, and in need of a stabilising partnership. This came when Asghar Stanekzai combined with Raees Ahmadzai (38) to put on 81 runs for the fifth wicket. Irfan Ahmed provided late hope for Hong Kong when he took a return catch from Ahmadzai, but this only brought Nabi to the crease. Stanekzai played a key innings for Afghanistan, compiling an unbeaten 55 from 93 balls, including three fours and a six.

Malaysia all-rounder, Suresh Navaratnam, almost pulled off another match-winning performance as he scored 115 as his side fell just eight runs short in the other semi-final against Nepal. Navaratnam took vital wickets in his team's win over United Arab Emirates on Wednesday. As he passed his century it seemed he may play a similar role, this time with the bat, but Malaysia was all-out with two balls remaining. It was seemingly the second unlikely comeback in two days after Nepal amassed 271 for six in their 50 overs. Nepal's total was based around an unbeaten 97 from Sharad Vesawkar with help from Gyanendra Malla (49) and Shakti Gauchan (52).

Friday's final should attract considerable interest, featuring the two teams with the most passionate suuporters in Asian non-Test cricket.

In the play-off for seventh and eighth place, event hosts Kuwait celebrated their last game of the tournament with a comfortable 10 wicket win over Bhutan.

Perhaps wanting to protect their bowlers from conceding another record score, Bhutan opted to bat after winning the toss. The Bhutanese battled hard to survive 41.4 overs to reach 132 all out. Left-hander Sonam Tobgay (48) top-scored for Bhutan while Tshering Tashi made 32. Slow left arm bowler Muhammad Javed was the pick of the Kuwaiti bowlers, taking 3 for 31.

The fact batting is the stronger of the Bhutanese disciplines was evidenced when Kuwait needed just 11.5 overs to overtake Bhutan's total. Kuwait opener Khalid Hussain smashed 83 not out and captain Hisham Mirza an unbeaten 38 to give Kuwait a 10 wicket victory with 139 balls to spare. Both teams can now rest up until December when they are due to play in the World Cricket League Division Eight tournament, also in Kuwait.

The ACC Trophy continues on Thursday when United Arab Emirates and Oman meet in the play-off for fifth and sixth places.

Hamid Hassan

We are counting down the days till the ICC World Twenty20 and we can’t wait for the action to begin. After savouring our victory in Dubai, we then achieved an amazing win in the ICC Intercontinental Cup over Canada, although I didn’t play any part in the game due to injury.

Finally, we then had a chance to go back home to celebrate with our people, and even though it was raining, there were still lots of people to greet us at the airport. There were lots of parties to attend in Kabul, which my brothers, cousins and uncles joined me for, and one of our sponsors even gave all of us a car! I haven’t been able to collect it yet – we are waiting for them to be delivered.

After spending six days in Kabul, there was finally time to go home to see my family in Jalalabad, which was very enjoyable, and my mother was very excited to see me. They had been following all the games as best as they could via the internet. While at home it was nice to get some rest, to help me recover from my injuries that I had sustained during the qualifier tournament, and the rehabilitation is going well.

We are now playing in the ACC Trophy in Kuwait where we have had a few exciting matches. I am not used to bowling off my short run that much, so against Bhutan I had a few problems with no balls. I actually took four wickets off no balls during that game, meaning I would have had ten wickets in the match, which I know is something that I need to work on. At ACC level you can get away with bowling no balls because I can back myself to cope with any batters trying to attack me on the free hit, but I think it will be a lot harder when you are facing some of the world’s best players at the ICC World Twenty20.

Before coming to Kuwait for the ACC event, we had a training camp in Lahore, which was a good experience, and it was great to play in a game against someone like Shoaib Akhtar. The fact our batters coped well against him should give us all confidence for when they have to face people like Dale Steyn in the Caribbean.

Although we want to win the ACC event, a lot of our focus is just on Twenty20 cricket and making sure that we arrive in the Caribbean ready to do our best.
After we leave Kuwait, we have a training camp in Sharjah, and will then head to the West Indies for what will be the greatest experience of our lives. I can only imagine how excited our supporters back in Afghanistan are getting as well!

Hamid Hasan’s five-wicket haul triggered a late-innings collapse that derailed Malaysia’s chase, as Afghanistan sneaked home by one run at Hubara. Afghanistan’s top order laid a strong foundation after they won the toss, but the rest of the batsmen could not drive home the advantage. Karim Sadiq started well with a run-a-ball 46, and Asghar Stanikzai lent good support to lift the score to 82 for 2, and later 117 for 3, in good time. Thereafter, the lower order lost the plot and it was left to Raees Ahmadzai to hold things together with a 59-ball 64, as Afghanistan posted 236 for 9. Malaysia’s captain Suhan Kumar anchored the chase with 61, and significant contributions from the top order, barring opener Rakesh Madhavan, put their side on course, at 219 for 4. Hasan then took over, as three wickets fell without the addition of a run. Malaysia pressed the panic button, and sensing an opportunity, Afghanistan closed in on the kill. A ten-run stand for the final wicket nearly achieved the impossible, before Nowroz Mangal removed number 11 Sharulnizam Yusof to give Afghanistan victory by the slimmest of margins.

Nepal’s openers made short work of Singapore’s score of 216, to take their team to a comfortable seven-wicket win. Singapore’s batsmen failed to capitalize on their starts after winning the toss, as the top four all fell for scores between 30 and 40. Nepal turned in a tidy bowling effort to stifle the progress, and the lower order responded by falling to a spate of run outs, five in all. Mahesh Chettri and Anil Mandal got the chase off to a solid start, adding 135 in 26.5 overs. Mandal was the more adventurous of the two, hitting seven fours and a six in his 93-ball 83. Chettri made 87 off 111 balls, and the only sore point for Nepal was that neither opener could reach three figures, as the target was reached in the 44th over.

Saqib Ali took charge of UAE’s chase against Afghanistan and scored a brisk 93 to steer his side to a tense two-wicket victory. Chasing 218 to win, UAE lost their first wicket on 0 and, by the 20th over, had slipped to 62 for 4. Saqib held up one end but support was thin at the other. However, he inched UAE closer to the target, striking six fours and two sixes, and was unbeaten when the winning runs were struck off the first ball of the 50th over. Shahpoor Zadran bowled an excellent spell of 3 for 28 but had been given too little to defend by his batsmen. Afghanistan’s innings had slumped from 41 for 0 to 57 for 4 by the 16th over and it needed half-centuries from Raees Ahmadzai and Samiullah Shinwari to 217 for 7. UAE used as many as eight bowlers of which Shadeep Silva was the best, returning figures of 3 for 29 in nine overs.

Nepal’s bowlers set up a facile win against Oman by restricting them to 169 for 9 in their 50 overs. Oman lost their first wicket with no score on the board and were crippled by losses at regular intervals thereafter. Vaibhav Wategaonkar top-scored with 56 but only three other batsmen got into double figures. Rahul Vishvakarma was Nepal’s most successful bowler, taking 3 for 32, while Shakti Gauchan claimed 2 for 23 in nine overs. There was no stand-out performance in Nepal’s innings but all of their top-order batsmen made useful contributions to ensure victory. The platform was laid by openers Mahesh Chettri, who scored 35, and Anil Mandal, who top-scored with 39, and the target was eventually reached in the 39th over with six wickets in hand. Aamir Ali picked up 3 for 48 for Oman but his effort was in vain.

Hussain Butt’s unbeaten half-century steered Hong Kong to a six-wicket victory against Kuwait. Chasing a target of 203, Hong Kong lost an early wicket – Roy Lamsam lbw for 5 – but Butt joined Nasir Hammed for a steadying 61-run stand for the second wicket. Hameed for 40 and the batsmen who followed him gave Butt useful support as he compiled 82 off 117 balls with eight fours and a six. Hong Kong reached the target off the penultimate ball of the 44th over. In their innings, Kuwait had reached 35 for 0 after winning the toss before losing their way. Three wickets fell for three runs and Ilyas Gul cut through the middle order, taking 4 for 33, to restrict the hosts to 202 for 9 in 49.5 overs. Lasantha Dimuthu scored 51 but received little support from his team-mates.

Afghanistan have named their 15-man squad for the World Twenty20 which starts at the end of April, with Shabir Noori and Sayed Nasrat's inclusion at the expense of Aftab Alam, the only changes from the 14-strong squad that won the qualifying tournament in February.

Afghanistan enter their first global tournament in Group C, alongside South Africa and India but are buoyed by a recent a run of success that saw them win the qualifier and chase down 494 to beat Canada in the Intercontinental Cup.

Afghanistan squad Nawroz Mangal (captain), Mohammad Nabi, Karim Sadiq, Mirwais Ashraf, Rais Ahmadzai, Dawlat Ahmadzai, Mohammad Shahzad, Hamid Hassan, Samiullah Shinwari, Noor Ali, Asghar Stanikzai, Shahpoor Zadran, Shabir Noori, Sayed Nasrat, Shafiq Shafaq.

Nepal brushed aside Hong Kong by 118 runs in their opening match of the ACC Trophy, at Unity. After the early loss of a wicket, Anil Mandal and Shakti Gauchan set the platform for a strong score with their 118-run partnership. Mandal was the more aggressive of the two, striking three sixes and eight fours in his 96-ball 72, while Gauchan contributed 65. Nadeem Ahmed and Moner Ahmed kept things tight after that, snaring eight wickets between them as Nepal finished with 236 for 7. Mehboob Alam’s opening burst ensured the chase never got going, and only Ilyas Gul offered any sort of resistance, with 27. Alam finished with 3 for 33 in his 7 overs, as Hong Kong stuttered to half of what Nepal managed.

Afghanistan continued their fine run of form in recent times, mauling Bhutan by the incredible margin of 393 runs at Hubara. Bhutan elected to field and were left to rue the decision as Afghanistan’s top three took their attack to the cleaners. Openers Karim Sadiq and Noor Ali Noori ran up a partnership of 218 in 25.1 overs, in the process bringing up fine hundreds, before Muhammad Asghar exploded with an 83-ball 151, including nine sixes, to lift the score to 471 for 5. Bhutan was out of the game even before they had the opportunity to bat, but Hamid Hassan ensured that they went home with nothing positive to take from the game. His spell of 6 for 18 shot Bhutan out for 78, and if not for Kumar Subba’s sedate 41, they would have lost by an even bigger margin.

In the only close finish of the day, Kuwait outlasted Singapore by three runs at KEC. Kuwait were lifted to 252 thanks to contributions of 45 from Hisham Mirza, 50 from Lasantha Dimuthu and a quickfire 68 from Saad Khalid. Dharmichand Mulewa finished with three wickets, while Buddhika Mendis, Narender Reddy and Saad Janjua picked two apiece. Singapore’s chase was anchored by Munish Arora’s sparkling 90 off 103 balls, but he had little support from the rest of the top order as Muhammad Amin helped himself to four wickets. Arora perished well short of the target and Singapore seemed out of the game, with the last wicket requiring to make 59 off 43 balls. Thanks to Janjua’s cameo at number nine, they almost pulled it off, but in the end they fell just short of the target. Janjua was unbeaten on 49 off 38 balls, and number eleven Shoib Razak finished with 16 off 19, but it was not enough to get Singapore a win.

Tony Munro

Afghanistan arrived in Kuwait this week with a full-strength squad and strong favouritism for the ACC Trophy Elite starting on Wednesday.

Motivation won't be an issue as the Afghans look to add the title of Asia's best non-Test 50-over team to their ACC Twenty/20 Cup success won last November.

Last week they prepared with four games in eight days at a camp in Lahore. Two of those matches were against a Pakistan A side, winning one.

Afghanistan schedule in Group B is - March 31 v Bahrain, April 2 v UAE, April 3 v Malaysia, April 6 v Bhutan.

Afghanistan: Nowroz Mangal (Captain), Mohammad Nabi, Karim Sadiq, Raees Ahmadzai, Hamid Hassan, Asghar Stanikzai, Mohammad Shahzad, Noor Ali, Dawlat Ahmadzai, Shahpoor Zadran, Mirwais Ashraf, Samiullah Shinwari, Shabir Noori, Nasatullah Nasrat
Coach - Kabir Khan.

A big year for the Kuwait national team and Kuwaiti cricket in general starts on Wednesday with the hosts' first match in Group A against Singapore.

The tournament is the first of two Kuwait will be playing in and hosting in 2010, with the World Cricket League Division Eight to be played in the Emirate in December.

Kuwait coach, Sameer Desai, said though, he didn't think home advantage in this tournament would be the bonus it used to be. "with so much international cricket being played now days I feel teams have developed greater adaptability to changing environments real quickly...." He also conceded, like in most Persian Gulf states, the Afghans would find plenty of support in Kuwait during the ACC Trophy. "Kuwait has a resident population comprising of multiple nationalities and quite a few teams might find unexpected support from the audience. You will be amazed how much support Afghanistan cricketers get in Kuwait and it often exceeds the support for our local team when we play against each other."

Desai said he expected captain Hasham Mirza and aggressive opener Khalid Butt were likely to be Kuwait's key batsmen. Butt hit centuries (117)against Afghanistan, then playing in its first ACC Trophy, and United Arab Emirates, (114) on successive days, in the 2004 tournament. Desai thought Under-19 captain and pace bowler Saad Khalid was another to watch.

Kuwait's first match in Group A is on March 31 vs Singapore followed by Hong Kong (April 2), Oman (April 4) and Nepal (April 6).

Kuwait: Hashim Mirza (Capt.), Khalid Butt, Lasantha Dimuthu, Saif Ullah, Muhammad Amin, Nikhil Kulkarni, Saud Iqbal, Muhammad Javed, Saad Khalid, Nalaka Dayan, Muhammad Murad, Muhammad Akhudzada, Khalid Yamin, Haroon Shahid
Coach - Sameer Desai

A triumphant Afghanistan team returned home to a joyous welcome from hundreds of fans after securing a place at the World Twenty20 tournament in West Indies. A large crowd of supporters at Kabul's airport waved the national flag and sang patriotic songs to greet the team on their arrival, AFP reported.

"Our national cricket team returns home today and we have come to show them our appreciation for their achievement and to further encourage them," said Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal, finance minister and Afghan Cricket Board chairman.

After wins over Ireland, Scotland and USA in the group stages of the Qualifiers in Dubai, Afghanistan held their nerve to beat UAE in a low-scoring semi-final to be sure of admission to their first major tournament.

"Certainly it was a dream of all the players and the Afghan people, and God fulfilled it," captain Nowroz Mangal said of their winning streak at the Qualifiers.

Afghanistan finished the qualifying tournament in style, beating Ireland by eight wickets in the final, meaning that they will now face India and South Africa in Group C of the World Twenty20, which begins on April 30.

Afghanistan 264 and 494 for 4 (Shahzad 215*, Nabi 80, Mangal 70*) beat Canada 566 and 191 for 4 dec by six wickets
Scorecard

There is no challenge too daunting for Afghanistan at the moment. Riding the momentum that led their charge to qualification for the World Twenty20, Mohammmad Shahzad's unbeaten 215 helped them pull off a sensational chase of 494 to beat Canada by six wickets in the Intercontinental Cup at Sharjah.

They now top the table and can credibly lay claim to being one of the strongest Associate nations. That they would even be in a position to draw this match seemed unlikely after Canada racked up 566 batting first before rolling Afghanistan over for 264. However, needing to bat out the day to survive, 18-year-old Shahzad shared two century stands, first with captain Nowroz Mangal and then Mohammad Nabi, that set up and all-but sealed the victory which came with 2.2 to spare.

Click here for the full story.

Canada 178 for 6 (Bagai 52, Nabi 2-23) beat Afghanistan 177 (Nabi 62, Chohan 4-43) by four wickets

Scorecard

Afghanistan's fairytale run of success finally crashed down to earth with a chastening four-wicket defeat to Canada in the second match of the series in Sharjah. They never recovered from a disastrous start that saw Khurram Chohan destroy the top order, leaving Afghanistan floundering at 4 for 3 by the third over, on his way to match-winning figures of 4 for 43.

It was due reward for Chohan who's four wickets in the opening fixture so nearly took Canada to victory. He started the day by claiming Shafiqullah Shafiq and last game's centurion Mohammad Shahzad in his first over, before following it up with Nowroz Mangal and debutant Shabir Noori to leave Afghanistan 38 for 5 and in utter disarray.

He was well supported by Rizwan Cheema and Umar Bhatti, who took two wickets each with their nagging seamers. It was only a 51-run sixth-wicket stand and Mohammad Nabi's well-constructed 62 that gave Afghanistan any semblance of respectability. Nabi played in the way he does best, belting five sixes and three fours during his 57-ball stay. Dominating a last-wicket stand with Aftab Alam, the pair added 49 to take Afghanistan to 177.

It didn't look enough and despite being reduced to 35 for 2 after 10 overs Canada were careful not to undo their good work. Sandeep Jyoti and captain Ashish Bagai, who richly deserved a win after making an unbeaten 91 in the first game, worked the ball around nicely during an 82-run stand that all but sealed the game. Jyoti made a patient 38 before he fell to Aftab Alam, while Bagai continued his good form striking five boundaries during his 59-ball 52.

Nabi threatened to cause a late scare when he took two wickets in the 35th over, reducing Canada to 144 for 6, still 34 runs short of the target, but Jawad Dawood came out and immediately arrested the momentum and any hopes of a fightback. He crashed 25 from 19 balls to give Canada their first win of the series.

Afghanistan 289 for 6 (Shahzad 118, Ali 114, Chohan 4-39) beat Canada 288 for 8 (Bagai 91, Cheema 61, Shenwari 4-31) by one run

Scorecard

Afghanistan needed a dramatic last-ball run out to edge a thriller against Canada after Ashish Bagai almost carried the underdogs to victory. The packed crowd of Afghanistan supporters, still in full voice following the team's triumph in the World Twenty20 qualifiers, were treated to a fluctuating spectacle of 50-over cricket at its clammy-palmed best as a spirited Canada side came within a whisker of causing an upset.

Chasing an unlikely 289 to win, Canada had timed the chase superbly, needing 38 from the final six overs with captain Ashish Bagai well set on 70, four wickets intact and a Powerplay still in hand. They took full advantage of the first over of fielding restrictions, with Bagai clubbing Shapoor Zadran for two fours and a two to take the equation to 25 from 30 balls.

But the 46th over proved a dramatic turning point as Samiullah Shenwari targeted the tail-ender Umar Bhati and pulled off a crucial maiden, conceding just two leg byes. Karim Sadiq and Mohammad Nabi restricted the next three overs to just 15 to leave a tantalising eight required from the final six balls.

Khurram Chohan managed to get Bagai on strike with a single from the first ball, but Nabi held his nerve and conceded just three of the next four. With four runs needed for victory from the last ball Chohan managed to force it away and scamper two but Bagai was run out by attempting a match-levelling single in a thrilling climax to the game.

It was a cruel end for Bagai who made 91 and, alongside fifties from Rizwan Cheema and Sunil Dhaniram, threatened to carry Canada to victory. Bagai only hit five boundaries as he instead worked the ball around cleverly and ran hard during his 99-ball stay. It was in sharp contrast to Cheema who launched the run chase with a series of boundaries. He butchered Afghanistan's opening bowlers, blazing 11 fours and two sixes on his way to 65 from just 35 balls.

His dashing half-century arrested the momentum which looked firmly Afghanistan's after Noor Ali, the hero from the crucial qualifying game against UAE, and Mohammad Shahzad made rapid hundreds to set up the game for Afghanistan.Shahzad followed up his sterling performance in the final of the World Twenty20 Qualifier with a Man-of-the-Match-earning 118, batting at No. 3 after Sadiq was defeated by Chohan in the third over for a duck.

Together with Ali the pair added 205 in 36 overs as they punished the Canada bowlers. Ali ended up with 114, and in contrasting style to some of his more stodgy knocks in the Twenty20, he was in full flow, stroking two sixes and 11 fours in his 127-ball stay. Chohan was the only Canada bowler to end with any real credit finishing with 4 for 39 from his 10 overs.

Afghanistan, it seems, are irrepressible at the moment but Canada will take great heart from this performance going into the next game on February 18.

Tony Munro

Members of the Afghanistan cricket team, already reveling in their qualification for the World Twenty20 tournament, have been promised new Nissan vehicles by an Afghanistan-based businessman.

Aziz Hotak, described only as a 'national trader', has reportedly announced that each player in the team which won the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier tournament will receive a vehicle. He was present at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Saturday when the team won the final against Ireland by eight wickets. Afghanistan Cricket Federation (ACF) chairman, Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal, also the country's Finance Minister, was reportedly sent to Dubai for the final from Kabul by Hamid Karzai, the Afghanistan President after his country qualified for the final by beating Netherlands in the Super Fours match.

The team is now preparing for two one-day internationals and a four-day Intercontinental Cup match against Canada. It will return to Kabul on February 25.

Afghanistan 147 for 2 (Shahzad 65, Johnston 1-28) beat Ireland 142 for 8 (Cusack 28, Nangal 3-23) by eight wickets with 15 balls remaining

Scorecard

Riding on the crest of a wave that carried them through to the World Twenty20 earlier today, Afghanistan finished the qualifying tournament in style cantering to victory over Ireland in the final by eight wickets.

After the tension of the two 'semi final' matches that saw both teams secure their place in the Caribbean, the final had a festival air to it under the bright lights of the Dubai International Stadium. With the crowd already in good cheer and the players' minds uncluttered by the pressure of needing a win, the Afghanistan batsmen blazed happily away at Ireland's total with Mohammad Shahzad guiding them home with a boundary-filled 65 that secured his team passage into Group C, alongside South Africa and India, in the main event in May.

It's a bizarre quirk of the fixture list that means runners-up Ireland will be in Group D, which features, on paper at least, the slightly easier prospects of England and West Indies. Afghanistan, however, won't mind a jot and will feel like they can beat anyone following their triumph today

Their win was built on a solid bowling effort after Ireland captain William Porterfield, as has become his custom, won the toss and chose to bat. He started brightly taking nine from the first over and, together with stalwart Niall O'Brien adding 42 in five overs before mishitting an attempted swipe down the ground off the wily offspin of Mohammad Nabi. It brought Alex Cusack to the wicket, barely hours after he blasted Ireland to victory over Netherlands.

Despite the loss of O'Brien at the other end, his good form continued and he made 28 before missing an attempted pull shot at Samiullah Shenwari and being stumped. Kevin O'Brien's sketchy form continued as he was out the next delivery pulling Nowroz Mangal, the Afghanistan captain, straight to midwicket for 2.

Mangal ended with two more wickets as the Ireland lower-order flayed without much success at some disciplined Afghani bowling. Trent Johnston helped carry the total to 137 before he was out the first ball of the final over, driving Shapoor Zadran straight to cover.

Needing 143 for victory Karim Sadiq launched the innings as if he the target was double. He smacked three fours off Johnston's first over and didn't look back thereafter, smiting Peter Connell for a mighty six over long on his way to 34 from 17 balls. By the time he was beaten for pace by a Johnston short ball and caught at midwicket, Afghanistan had taken the bite out of the required run rate and, with Shahzad looking set, needed 105 from more than 16 overs.

He and Noor Ali, the hero from the earlier game against UAE, added 52 in less than eight overs, with Ali providing a useful foil to Shahzad's more expansive approach. When Ali eventually fell for 16, Mangal and Shahzad calmly chipped away at the total with quick running and the occasional big shot.

With 20 needed from 24 balls, Cusack had an over to forget. He started by firing a wide past the advancing batsman and wicketkeeper Niall O'Brien, which went for four and was then clubbed handsomely over cover by Mangal for another boundary. The over cost 15 and the result was a formality with three overs left. Shahzad finished it off in style, carving a short ball over cover for six to crown the best day in Afghanistan's cricketing history.

Hamid Hassan

I feel absolutely amazing and it is a dream come true to qualify for the World Twenty20. It is undoubtedly the biggest day in my cricketing life.

All over the world the people of Afghanistan will be happy today and I am very proud to be able to play for my country and bring so much happiness to our supporters.

We may have only been chasing a small target but it was a very difficult wicket to score runs on and the pitch was taking lots of spin. There was also lots of pressure on the players so it was a great effort to win the game.

In the final over we were all lined up on the boundary edge, with our arms around each other, like they do on the half-way line in the football when it is a penalty shoot out and then we ran into the middle once we had won. Quite a few supporters ran on the pitch and they were dancing on the outfield in celebration.

It is hard to take in that we are going to playing matches against major international sides that I only ever seen play on the television. We might not be able to beat the top teams, but I know that we are going to fight really hard and give them a tough test.

I have never been to the Caribbean and I can’t imagine what is going to be like to play there. I always used to like watching Brian Lara batting and Curtley Ambrose bowling on the television and it is fantastic I am going to be playing in the West Indies.

I have just finished my lunch and we are now going to stay at the ground and watch the Ireland-Netherlands match and then get ready for the final.

I will also probably spend some time with the physio as I have quite a few injuries, which means my body is really hurting, but nothing is going to stop me playing in the final this evening.

It doesn’t really matter if we win or lose tonight, as the most important thing was to qualify for the World Twenty20, but I am sure that our people want us to bring the trophy back to Kabul and celebrate with us, so we are determined to win the game.

Afghanistan 101 for 6 (Noor Ali 38*, Stanikzai 26, Silva 2-14, Fayyaz 2-14) beat UAE 100 for 9 (Saqib 24, Nabi 3-17, Mirwais 2-15) by 4 wickets

Scorecard

With their fairytale mission resting on the game, Afghanistan held their nerve to overcome a tenacious UAE side in a low-scoring thriller and take their place in the World Twenty20 that starts in May.

Rarely has an Associate competition inspired so much emotion as people from around the world willed Afghanistan on through the tournament. Their defeat to the Netherlands yesterday brought back bitter memories of Afghanistan's near-miss on qualification for the 50-over World Cup, but today there was no mistake.

Their win was crafted on a number of useful contributions, rather than an outstanding individual but on a tired surface Noor Ali's unbeaten 38, to guide his side home in a tense run chase, must be one of the most important innings in Afghanistan's history.

Asked to field first by home captain Khuuram Khan in front of a big crowd, Afghanistan settled into the contest immediately. The new-ball pair of Mirwais Ashraf and Shapoor Zadran have been important in giving Afghanistan control early and unlike yesterday, when they bowed under the pressure of the Netherlands' batsmen, the pair responded well. Within four overs UAE were restricted to 11 for 3, with Ashraf claiming two wickets and Zadran getting the important scalp of Afran Haider, who after a couple of dot balls slashed one straight down the throat of third man.

UAE have proved throughout the tournament that they are a resilient side and Abdul Rahman and Saqib Ali, who played so well against Ireland, set about undoing the early damage with 42-run stand. Having taken the score to 53 for 3 in just over 10 overs, Rahman got a grubber from Mohammed Nabi, that scuttled along the ground from a short length, straight into middle stump. Ali fell two overs later, having made a patient 24 and it was left to Naeemuddin Aslam to shepherd as many as he could from the tail. Nabi and Hamid Hassan, Afghanistan's specialist death bowler, prevented any hopes UAE may have had of pushing beyond 100 with tight and penetrating bowling. Nabi ended with 3 for 17 and Hassan 2 for 23, as UAE posted what looked to be a below-par total.

At this stage, Afghanistan would have backed themselves to coast home but they lost two wickets within the first four overs with only 16 on the board. Karim Sadiq and Mohammad Shahzad were both bowled by Shadeep Silva from deliveries that kept low and it was left to captain Nowroz Mangal to join Noor Ali to try and steady the ship. The pair carefully recovered the situation, running hard to add 32 important runs in six overs. When Mangal was out, trying to slog Fayyaz Ahmed over long on, for 14, his side needed 53 in 10 overs and the game was Afghanistan's to lose.

Ali continued to work the ball around well and found a willing partner in Asghar Stanikzai. They calmly pushed the score to 88, before Stanikzai needlessly tried to smash Ahmed over long off and was caught. It set nerves fluttering but in the 19th over, with 13 still needed, Ali swatted a short ball through midwicket for his only boundary of the innings, and followed it up with a two and another single. Nabi was bowled, deceived by a slower ball, but Samiullah Shenwari swept his first ball for four to leave just one needed from the final over.

Fittingly, it was Ali who secured the winning moment, chipping over mid off to cue celebrations that will continue all the way to the Caribbean.

He was named man of the match and is now eagerly looking forward to testing his skills against the top sides. "It has always been our dream to qualify and play in a World Cup. We missed out on the 50-over Cricket World Cup last year, so I am very happy we will play in the Twenty20 event," he said. "It is our dream to play against the best teams and have the chance to play against fast bowlers like Dale Steyn or Ishant Sharma. We will prepare ourselves very well for this event and we need to keep on getting better ahead of the World Twenty20."

Netherlands 132 for 6 (Kervezee 39, Nabi 3-23) beat Afghanistan128 for 9 (Ahmadzai 23, Jonkman 2-23) by four wickets

Afghanistan's dream of a place at the World Twenty20 was placed on standby after their defeat to Netherlands at Dubai International stadium. Put in to bat in an electric atmosphere in front of a crowd of well over 2,500, Afghanistan were restricted to 128 for 9, with several batsmen making starts but none able to push on for a big total. In reply, Alexei Kervezee and Eric Szwarczynski got the chase off to a flier, and Netherlands weathered a late fightback from Mohammad Nabi and Hamid Hassan to register a tense four-wicket win.

Afghanistan had to be on top of their game in the field after posting such a modest total, but they let themselves down with several fielding and bowling lapses to allow Netherlands to take control. Mohammad Shahzad, the wicketkeeper, put down a chance in the first over of Netherlands' chase, and the 18 extras given away did nothing to help Afghanistan's attempts to restrict the scoring. In the tense closing moments of the game, Shapoor Zadran's casual attempt at a catch let Ryan ten Doeschate, the last recognised batsman at the crease, off the hook and he lofted Hassan over mid on three balls later to seal the win.

Zadran's economical opening spells have been one of the vital ingredients in Afghanistan's success in this tournament so far. He leaked runs against Ireland, but gave away just 21 runs in eight overs against Scotland and USA. Admittedly, he would have been frustrated by the missed chance off his third ball today, but he was unforgivably wayward thereafter, giving away four boundaries in his opening spell.

Kervezee provided most of the momentum as Netherlands raced to 64 in under nine overs, but when he was bowled around his legs sweeping at Nabi, Afghanistan sniffed a chance for an unlikely comeback. Nabi held on to a stinging return catch to get rid of Szwarczynski in his next over, and when Bas Zuiderent was trapped in front by Samiullah Shenwari for two, Netherlands had slipped to 74 for 3. Daan van Bunge eased the pressure with a towering six over long off, but when he was dismissed attempting to repeat the shot, the nerves set in.

Hassan has been a talisman for Afghanistan bowling at the death in this format, but without the weight of runs to put pressure on the opposition's batsmen, his effectiveness was limited in this game. As a proven wicket-taker he was also introduced a little too late, when only 39 runs were required off 48 balls. After Peter Borren's senseless run out, Hassan rattled Atse Buurman's stumps with a searing yorker second ball, but ten Doeschate drew on his experience – and took advantage of a dropped catch – to guide Netherlands home with seven balls to spare.

ten Doeschate was named Man of the Match for his efforts, which included Nabi's wicket when Afghanistan batted. That dismissal was the third of the innings, after a double strike by Mark Jonkman, as Afghanistan slipped from 30 without loss to 32 for 3. Jonkman has built up a reputation as one of the quickest bowlers outside the Test arena, but he also exhibited a well-disguised slower ball to bowl Nowroz Mangal for 10.

Confused calling then led to Mohammad Shahzad's run out to reduce Afghanistan to 51 for 4. Raees Ahmadzai collected two fours in his 23 – the highest score of the innings – but after his dismissal wickets fell at regular intervals as Afghanistan slipped to 92 for 7. Ashraf aimed two massive strikes over long on to lift the score in the closing overs, but it was probably 20 runs short of the total Afghanistan needed.

Netherlands will be buoyed by this result, which gives them two valuable points ahead of their second encounter against Ireland tomorrow. Afghanistan carried two points into this round courtesy of their win over Ireland in the group stage, but after today's loss will be hoping for a strong victory in their game against UAE tomorrow to enhance their chances of making it to the West Indies.

Hamid Hassan

Arriving at the ground this morning, I wasn’t expecting us to lose to the Netherlands, but we didn’t score enough runs and made too many mistakes in the field, dropping important catches and conceding far too many extras.

I don’t think it was the pressure of the game that got to us, since we have really improved those areas of our game recently. Mohammad Nabi bowled really well though and although I tried my best I couldn’t get an early wicket in my spell.

I hope that we can do much better tomorrow, as we know so much riding on the game. It is agonising to think that we are so close to going to the Caribbean but that we also may miss out on playing in another major event having failed to qualify for the 50-over World Cup last year. I can only imagine how busy the internet cafes will be back at home tomorrow with everybody following the live scores on the internet.

We are confident going into the match against the UAE as they are a team that we have beaten twice in the ACC Twenty20 Cup in November. We know what they are capable of and they have obviously been playing extremely well in the tournament so far, so we will treat them with a lot of respect. I certainly hope I’m not required to score 10 runs off the last two balls to win the game like I was last year – it would be much nicer for my nerves to have a comfortable victory!

We are all going to watch the Ireland-UAE match this afternoon and see if there is anything we can pick up ahead of our final Super Four game. Kabir Khan, our coach, used to be in charge of the UAE side, so I am sure he will be able to provide us with plenty of insights as well. We will then head back to the team hotel, get some dinner, and it will be another early night for me.
I would like to thank all the Afghanistan supporters who turned up to watch the match today – the noise was incredible – and I hope they can all come again tomorrow. I would also like to thank everybody for their comments on yesterday’s blog. Lots of people seem to have been very interested in my love of the film Rocky!

Just like Rocky, we have all put up so many hours in training to help us achieve our dreams of playing in a major international event. In fact, running up and down the stairs in the Olympic Stadium in Kabul as part of our training camp in the build-up to this tournament reminded me of the film.

It would certainly make the pain of all those training days worthwhile if we can get back to our winning ways tomorrow by showing our champion qualities and achieve qualification for the World Twenty20.

Hamid Hassan

Our first aim has been achieved and we have qualified for the Super Fours stages of the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier after we beat USA today.

It is a real boost that we have won all three matches and that we carry two points into the next stage. We know that one more win might be enough to get us into the final, but our only focus is trying to win every match that we play in.

I was really pleased with my bowling display – it is always nice to get a wicket with your first ball – and I always felt confident that we would be able to defend our target.

As ever, we received fantastic support from our fans in the stadium at the Sports City – it was very inspiring to see so many Afghanistan flags on display as it really makes you want to do well for your country. I really appreciate all of the messages from my previous blogs as well. It seems like everybody wants Afghanistan to do well! Hopefully even more people may be able to come to our remaining matches, as I think our support is quite intimidating for the opposition.

After the match, I had to go to do a post-match media conference and they all wanted to know how it felt to beat USA, but the opposition didn’t matter to me. I was just happy to win another cricket match.

I love getting the chance to play against different countries and this was the first time we had ever played USA in an international match. I could never have dreamed when I was young, that I would one day play them in a cricket game.

I am a big fan of American television and movies and my favourite film is Rocky – I vividly remember watching it when I was growing up – and one of my heroes is Sylvester Stallone.

I think that there is a similarity in the story of Rocky and the Afghanistan cricket team – we both started at the bottom and gradually made our way up the rankings. It is easy to forget how far we have come in the last two years since we played at the World Cricket League Division 5 in Jersey.

We all want to win the tournament and having the chance to play against India or South Africa at the ICC World Twenty20 really would be like Rocky having the chance to fight the champion and we are determined to make our dreams come true.

Hamid Hassan

Two wins out of two is the perfect start for us to the tournament and it was a very good performance with the ball against Scotland on Wednesday.

I was very worried whether we would manage a defendable score, but when we got to 130 I felt very confident. I told the coach during the innings break that I thought we had enough if we all bowled really well. My role in the team is to come on after about 10 overs and try and bowl quickly, which is something that I really enjoy, and it was nice to take wickets again today.

Our opening bowlers, Shapoor Zadran and Mirwais Ashraf were excellent – they only conceded eight runs in the first five overs, and really put a lot of pressure on Scotland and then our spin bowlers, Karim Sadiq and Mohammad Nabi, kept up the pressure.

There is a lot of attention ahead of our match against the USA tomorrow and it seems that everybody wants to talk to me about the game and what it will be like to play them. For us, it is just another cricket match and one more step towards qualifying for the World Twenty20.

I think that it is a great thing that cricket can bring people together and that players from Afghanistan and the USA can play each other in an international match. It also shows how global a game, cricket now is.

We are now travelling back to our hotel, which is about 20 minutes from the stadium in Dubai Sports City, and I will just rest and relax ahead of the game. I always like to go to bed early before a match so I will probably try and sleep at 8.30pm and get ready for another massive game on Thursday.

Afghanistan 131 for 7 (Noor Ali 42, Coetzer 3-25) beat Scotland 117 for 9 (McCallum 38, Hassan 3-32) by 14 runs

Scorecard

Afghanistan continued their seemingly inexorable march to the World Twenty20 with a 14-run win over Scotland at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Noor Ali's blistering 42, when wickets were falling around him, provided the early impetus in Afghanistan's 131 for 7 and Shapoor Zadran's remarkable bowling - he conceded just eight runs in four overs - held Scotland at bay to ensure Afghanistan's passage into the Super Fours.

Scotland's decision to field this morning appeared to have paid dividends when Gordon Drummond picked up Karim Sadiq and Shafiqullah in his first over, but Ali was unperturbed and crashed four fours and a six in his 42. With his partner striking the ball so cleanly, Mohammad Shahzad could afford to play a more sedate innings. His 30 contained just a single boundary, but he rotated the strike well in the 71-run partnership.

Kyle Coetzer grabbed three quick wickets - including the hero of yesterday's game, Mohammad Nabi, first ball - to peg Afghanistan back, and when Samiullah Shenwari picked out Gavin Hamilton off Jan Stander in the 19th over, Afghanistan were struggling at 116 for 7. But a late surge from Raees Ahmadzai and Mirwais Ashraf took the score past 130 and gave Afghanistan's bowlers a decent total to defend.

Scotland would have been hoping for a positive start to their chase, but Navdeep Poonia fell second ball to Ashraf, and Zadran proved almost impossible to get away in his opening spell. When Kyle Coetzer's painful innings ended on the first ball of the fifth over, he had struggled to two from 15 balls. Hamilton and Neil McCallum clawed their way back with a 66-run partnership for the third wicket, but when they were both dismissed in consecutive balls, Afghanistan had found their opening.

Hamid Hassan bowled Jan Stander and Fraser Watts, and when Drummond and Simon Smith fell to Mohammad Nabi in the penultimate over, Scotland's hopes were extinguished. Hassan shattered Majid Haq's stumps with the last ball of the innings to seal an emphatic victory, sending Scotland crashing out of contention and Afghanistan through to the next round.

Hamid Hassan

What a way to start the tournament! To win your opening game of the event is always important but to beat the number one Associate team who played in the Super Eights at the last ICC World Twenty20 is an amazing feeling.

Even though we beat Ireland at the World Cup Qualifier last year and in the ICC Intercontinental Cup last month, I always knew it was going to be a tough game, so to come out on top is a real boost for the team.

The support we received from the Afghanistan supporters was fantastic in the stadium. They made a lot of noise playing the drums. It was a great atmosphere to play in front of and really helped us gain our momentum once we got William Porterfield out. I would also to like to thank everybody who has been sending us messages from back in Afghanistan – the support we get from you all is incredible.

I was quite pleased with the way that I bowled and it was great to be involved in the final two wickets – the first was a run out when the ball was hit straight back to me and I managed to get a direct hit on the stumps and then the second one was cleaned bowled to finish the match.

I am very proud of my team and to represent my country. To show this to everybody I had small Afghanistan flags on my face. At the ACC Twenty20 in Dubai last year I only had one flag on my face, but for the Twenty20 Qualifier I thought it was important to have two flags – one on each cheek. Maybe it helped bring us luck!

We know that Scotland will be a tough match on Wednesday and even though we beat them twice last year at the World Cup Qualifier, there have been enough surprise results on the opening day of this event to remind us in Twenty20 anything can happen.

Afghanistan 139 for 8 (Nabi 43*, Johnston 2-18) beat Ireland 126 all out (Porterfield 35, Sadiq 3-17) by 13 runs

Scorecard

Mohammad Nabi produced a magnificent allround display to continue Afghanistan's fairytale rise in international cricket with victory over Ireland, in a gripping match at the World Twenty20 Qualifier in Dubai.

In a fluctuating contest, neither side were separated for long until Afghanistan surged to victory with glut of quick wickets at the end. The day began with William Porterfield winning the toss and inserting Afghanistan on a lively pitch in the International Stadium. Trent Johntson, Ireland's evergreen opening bowler, made the most of the bounce available, getting his side off to an ideal start with two quick wickets. Karim Sadiq was bowled in Jonhston's first over before Shafiqullah, lashed out after a couple of dot balls to be caught smartly by John Mooney.

It could have been worse for Afghanistan as a number of chances were spilled before Noor Ali and wicketkeeper Mohammad Shahzad steadied things with a 47-run third-wicket stand in just under seven overs. At 57 for 2 at the half-way stage the foundations had been laid for a decent total but Shahzad was run out by Mooney for 12 before Ali fell soon after. He was dismissed by a full-length diving catch by Paul Stirling as he tried to flick Andre Botha into the leg side. It left Afghanistan reeling at 69 for 4 with just over seven overs to go.

Nabi immediately arrested the momentum with successive sixes off young left-arm spinner George Dockrell, which was followed by another captain Nowroz Mangal. Though Mangal was stumped the next ball, trying to repeat another heave, the damage had been done with 23-runs from the over. As wickets tumbled around him, Nabi's blend of quick running and occasional boundary swiping lifted the total to 139 and he finished unbeaten on 43 from 25 balls.

As a captain opening the innings, Porterfield had an important role in calming the nerves and setting the tone for the run chase. With a four in the first over and successive, massive sixes over midwicket off Shapoor Zadran in the third, he got off to a flyer. Zadran held his nerve, however, and removed Niall O'Brien off the final ball of the third over. Having already taken 14 from the first five legal deliveries, there was no need for O'Brien to try and smite another boundary, it proved his undoing as he was caught by Ali for 2.

Stirling, Ireland's most promising young player, joined his captain as the two calmly lifted the total to 49 off just six overs. At that stage Ireland looked like they could coast home but Sadiq made up for his earlier disappointment with the bat with a crucial double-strike in the seventh over. First Porterfield was bowled by a sharply-spinning offbeak and then Andre Botha was bowled through that gate from one that came back at him for a duck. Kevin O'Brien and Stirling soon followed as Afghanistan took charge to leave Ireland at 98 for 7, still 41 needed from 33 balls.

Johnston and Mooney then wrestled back some of the momentum, putting on 27 in four overs to keep Ireland in the hunt, before Johnston holed out off a full toss from Nabi to leave Ireland needing 14 from the final six balls. They didn't get close as Hamid Hasan ran out Peter Connell from the first ball and castled Mooney off the second to secure Afghanistan a sensational start in their quest to reach a global tournament.

Speaking after the game Porterfield was very disappointed with the way his side, fancied before the tournament, imploded today. "We lost it all round really. I don't think we deserved anything from the game, the way we went at it," he said.

"We didn't bowl badly but we probably gave them 20 or 30 runs with the amount of dropped catches. But even walking off the field, I would have taken 140, I wasn't too disappointed to be chasing that. Just the way we went about it with the bat wasn't good enough. The way we've been preparing for the last two weeks has been nowhere near that standard, and it wasn't good enough."

Hamid Hassan

We are very excited ahead of the World Twenty20 Qualifier after a very good tour of Sri Lanka, where, even though we didn’t win every game, we played well in some of our matches.

Nobody knows what will happen in Twenty20 cricket – we are just all determined to do our best and all contribute whether it is with the bat, the ball or in the field. We were bitterly disappointed to miss out on qualification for next year’s 50-over World Cup, even though we did really well to progress through the World Cricket League, so people at home are really willing us to do well.

They want to watch us play on television in a big international tournament against the likes of England, India and South Africa. The Under-19 team had a chance to play on television during the Under-19 World Cup and the senior team wants to have a taste of the action as well.

We are a much more experienced team than when we played at the World Cup Qualifier last year. We owe a lot to our coach, Kabir Khan, and we have played so much cricket in the past year we feel more comfortable dealing with high pressure situations.

Our fielding has improved a lot compared to when we first played in the World Cricket League and our batting and bowling has developed as well.

I have always enjoyed playing Twenty20 cricket – it is a good challenge for a bowler and if I get the chance to bat I like hitting the ball a long way. I really enjoyed my innings at the ACC event last year when I hit 10 off the final two balls to win a match against the UAE.

The UAE is somewhere that I enjoy playing my cricket and I had a good record with the ball at the ACC Twenty20 last year. I like the wickets, I am used to the warm weather – it is similar to home – and I like spending time in Dubai. Our hotel is not very near any of the shops, but I would like to have a chance to go the shopping malls here if I can as I love to go shopping.

We are expecting to have lots of support, as there are lots of Afghan people living in the UAE, and lots of people came to watch us at the ACC event. I know that my hero, Andrew Flintoff, lives in Dubai and it would be my dream if he came to watch me play in one of the games this week and see me bowl. I have watched him play many times for England on the television, so it would be very special if he came to see me.

I am really looking forward to our first game. It will be a tough challenge on Tuesday against Ireland, who played very well to beat us in Sri Lanka, although some of our players were carrying injuries so perhaps we couldn’t fight as well as normal.

Even though we made a disappointing total, we made them work very hard for their runs, so we are still feeling confident for when we play them at Sports City. After all the preparation and warm-ups, I can’t wait for the action to begin.

As the Associate nations prepare for the World Twenty20 Qualifier tournament, which begins February 9 in the UAE, there is one fixture in Group A that jumps out at you. In perhaps the most intriguing sporting event of recent times, USA will face Afghanistan.

It's a match that will reverberate beyond the cricketing world as people try to imbue it with a progressive significance. Amidst all kinds of domestic turmoil Afghanistan have risen rapidly to become one of the best Associate nations and they will be desperate to secure a berth in the main World Twenty20, which takes place in West Indies in April.

They were within a whisker of qualifying for the 50-over World Cup last year and have impressed in the Intercontinental Cup, beating defending champions Ireland and the Netherlands.

"The match against the USA will be an interesting and exciting one," said Afghanistan captain Nawroz Mangal. "But it will just be another game of cricket in which both the sides will try as hard as possible hard to emerge winner. Like any other opponent, we respect the USA and know we cannot afford to be complacent against them.

"Initially, we started off with a reputation of being a good Twenty20 side because this is the format that is played and popular in Afghanistan. But in the last 18 months, we have shown that we can adopt and excel in any format. Personally, I believe we are a better Twenty20 side simply because we have more experience in the shortest version of the game.

"Our group is a tough one with Ireland and Scotland having loads of international experience. But I am quite optimistic that after narrowly missing out on next year's 50-over World Cup, we'll be able to qualify for the World Twenty20. We just need a good start in the tournament and our big boys need to fire throughout the next week."

For their part, the USA comes to this event plenty to prove. Having fallen down the rankings in recent years they only made it to the qualifiers as a wildcard entry, along with hosts United Arab Emirates.

"We are feeling very positive and very confident," said USA captain Steve Massiah. "Judging from the way we played in the last tournament, which was the Americas Cup, we feel good. We want to make the most of the opportunity to play in this event and we are all looking forward to it."

Keen observers will notice the name of Lennox Cush in the USA team, he was in the Stanford Superstars squad that defeated England in 2008, and Massiah wants to draw on his experience. "Lennox is very important as he has had the opportunity to play a lot of Twenty20 cricket and was part of that Stanford squad. He is very experienced and hopefully this will rub off on the other players."

Afghanistan prevailed in a rain-affected game at Colombo, with Canada falling 8 runs behind the required Duckworth/Lewis score as they reached 96 for 2 in 12 overs. Afghanistan's total of 185 for 5 was thanks largely to the efforts of Karim Sadiq, who top-scored with 67 on Twenty20 debut before two powerful cameos by captain Nowroz Mangal and Mohammad Shahzad boosted Afghanistan's total.

Sadiq and Noor Ali got the better of Canada's bowling attack in the first of the Afghan innings, cruising to 76 in the tenth over before Ali picked out Rizwan Cheema off Sunil Dhaniram's left-arm spin. Sadiq proceeded to his half-century, clearing the boundary twice along the way, but with almost seven overs remaining in the innings he fell to Khurram Chohan.

Chohan also accounted for Raees Ahmadzai before Mangal and Shahzad went ballistic, thrashing 44 runs in under three overs. Both were dismissed in consecutive overs, but by then the damage had been done and Canada faced the prospect of a stiff run chase.

Cheema, opening the batting with Trevin Bastiampillai, lofted five sixes in his 39 to set the pace of Canada's innings before he was trapped lbw by legspinner Samiullah Shenwari. With his dismissal Canada's innings lost momentum, however, and Abdool Samal and captain Ashish Bagai failed to hit a single boundary in their 27-run partnership. With 90 runs required off the final eight overs the match looked set for an explosive denouement, but the weather intervened to seal the result in Afghanistan's favour.

The squads for the World Twenty20 Qualifier tournament in Dubai and Abu Dubai between February 9 and 15 have been announced.

The tournament will see 17 matches take place in the five days, played Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium and the Dubai International Cricket Stadium at Dubai Sports City, where the final will be staged.

At stake are two places in the World Twenty20 which takes places in the West Indies from April 30 to May16. The winner of the UAE event will join South Africa and India in Group C while the losing finalist will join Group D which includes the West Indies and England.

All eyes will be on Afghanistan, who's stellar performances over the last ten months have reverberated around the cricketing world and beyond. While they narrowly missed qualification for the 50-over World Cup 2011 in April, they have been in good form at the Intercontinental Cup. Most recently they displayed flair and resilience to defeat defending champions Ireland, and also recorded a come-from-behind, one-wicket victory over the Netherlands in August 2009.

Ireland, who have been pushing for full-member status, remain one of the strongest associate sides and their squad includes 13 players from the 2009 World Twenty20 in England, where they defeated Bangladesh by six wickets and qualified for the Super Eights.

The Netherlands, who caused the major upset of the 2009 tournament when they defeated England in the opening match, will be without captain Jeroen Smith's this time round but will still be looking to impress.

Afghanistan Dawlat Ahmadzai, Hameed Hasan, Karim Khan Sadiq, Mohammad Asghar Stanikzai, Mohamamd Shahzad Mohammadi, Mohammad Nabi Eisakhil, Merwais Ashraf, Nawroz Khan Mangal, Noor Ali Noori, Obaidullah Konary, Raees Ahmadzai, Shafiqullah Shafaq, Shahpoor Zardan and Samiullah Shinwari.

Canada Harvir Baidwan, Ashish Bagai, Geoff Barnett, Umar Bhatti, Ian Billcliff, Rizwan Cheema, Khurram Chohan, John Davison, Sunil Dhaniram, Shaheed Keshvani, Usman Limbada, Henry Osinde, Abdool Samad and Saad Bin Zafar.

Ireland Andre Botha, Alex Cusack, Peter Connell, George Dockrell, Trent Johnston, Gary Kidd, John Mooney, Kevin O'Brien, Niall O'Brien, William Porterfield, Boyd Rankin, Paul Striling, Andrew White and Gary Wilson.

Kenya James Kamande, Lameck Ngoche, Nehemiah Ngoche, Shem Ngoche, Alex Obanda, Collins Obuya, David Obuya, Nelson Odhiambo, Otieno Ondik, Elijah Otieno, Maurice Ouma, Rakep Patel, Steve Tikolo and Hiren Varaiya.

Netherlands Peter Borren, Mudassar Bukhari, Daan van Bunge, Ryan ten Doeschate, Tom de Grooth, Mark Jonkman, Muhammad Kashif, Alexei Kervezee, Atse Buurman, Timothy Gruijters, Edgar Schiferli, Pieter Seelaar, Eric Szwarczynski and Bas Zuiderent.

Scotland Richie Berrington,, Kyle Coezter, Gordon Drummond, Gordon Goudie, Gavin Hamilton, Majid Haq, Ross Lyons, Neil McCallum, Dewald Nel, Navdeep Poonia, Simon Smith, Jan Stander, Ryan Watson and Fraser Watts.

UAE Fayyaz Ahmed, Saqib Ali, Arfan Haider, Mohamed Iqbal, Amjad Javed, Khurram Khan, Mois Shahid Malik, Naeemuddin, Qadar Nawaz, Ahmed Raza, Abdul Rehman, Shoaib Sarwar, Mohammad Tauqir and Qassim Zubair.

USA Timroy Allen, Imran Awan, Orlando Baker, Lennox Cush, Kevin Darlington, Sudesh Dhaniram, Glenmore Hall, Rashard Marshall, Steve Massiah, Sushil Nadkarni, Usman Shuja, Aditya Thyagarajan and Saurabh Verma Carl Wright.

Afghanistan pulled off their second win in the Intercontinental Cup, defeating defending champions Ireland by seven wickets to propel themselves to the top of the table.

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USA’s preparations for the ICC Under-19 World Cup came unstuck as they were beaten by Hong Kong in a warm-up match. Afgahnistan, who beat Hong Kong earlier in the week, lost to a Canterbury A team, while Canada lost to an Auckland XI.

USA only managed 182 for 9 after they chose to bat, their efforts not aided by three run outs. Hong Kong raced to 186 for 4 in 32.2 overs with captain Jamie Atkinson blasting 100 off 86 deliveries. He added 156 at almost a run-a-ball with Ashish Gadhia (59).

Afghanistan went down to a five-wicket loss to Canterbury A, being bowled out for 169 after a promising start. Canterbury eased to victory in 32.2 overs, opener Kereyn Ambler leading the way with 70 off 77 balls.

Auckland XI made 171 for 6 in a match reduced to 33 overs-a-side by rain. Canada struggled to keep on top of a stiff asking rate and finished on 148 for 7, although a fifty from Ruvindu Gunasekara gave them some cause for optimism.

This was the last round of unofficial warm-ups as the teams all head to Christchurch for the tournament’s official opening on Sunday. Two days of official warm-ups follow before the first batch of proper games on Friday, January 15.

Tony Munro

Four teams have reportedly qualified for the first round of Afghanistan's Inter Provincial 25-over tournament in Jalabad - Laghman, Wardak, Parwan and Herat.

Two games each day are being played on cement pitches in Jalalabad in the qualifying event for Afghanistan's main tournament to be played in May.

The majority of the teams are from the traditional heartland of Afghan cricket, the east, although it is understood teams from Herat in the west, and Helmand have also taken part.

Results of matches will appear once they are confirmed by the Afghanistan Cricket Federation.

Tony Munro

Afghanistan's players have kicked off a hectic couple of months with the 25-over Inter-Provincial Tournament, which started in Jalalabad last Saturday. The participation of 22 provinces in the tournament is also expected to generate interest among those following Afghan cricket. There had been a perception that the game was played almost exclusively by members of the Pashto tribe in the east of the country.

Two teams will emerge from the 12-team first round of the tournament, for the next round. The top six will contest Afghanistan's main domestic event - a 50-over tournament in Kabul in May.

The team then travels to Sri Lanka, this coming Saturday (January 2), where it will take part in a 20-man training camp till January 20. The camp is in preparation for one of the busiest periods the team has ever faced.

From that camp, the squad for the Intercontinental Cup match against Ireland starting January 23 will be chosen. The fixture will be followed by a match against Sri Lanka A on January 28, the Sri Lanka Twenty20 Quadrangular tournament against Ireland, Canada and Sri Lanka A from January 31 to February 3 and the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers in the UAE from February 9-13. One-dayers and an Intercontinental Cup match against Canada are up next.

Joining the training camp will be two young players, allrounder Pameer Hussani, and left-handed batsman Najeeb Zadran, who captained the national Under-15 and Under-17 teams with success and gained experience from being part of the national team setup.

Three of the semi-finalists were decided on the fourth day of the ACC Twenty20 Cup, with the three unbeaten teams - Afghanistan, Oman and UAE - all progressing to the last four.

UAE grabbed the headlines with a 209-run rout of the hapless China side, the biggest margin in a representative Twenty20 match. UAE made 236 for 5 and then bundled out China for 27, 15 of which were extras. In a week Australia’s chief executive claimed the ICC would be better off promoting cricket in China than in some existing Associates, it again highlighted the yawning chasm between the hopes of those running the game and the reality of the side itself.

Afghanistan bowled out Saudi Arabia for 72 to win by nine wickets, but Oman were made to struggle more, even so they beat Malaysia by 35 runs after posting 197 for 5. Nepal’s stop-start tournament continued with a six-wicket win over Qatar.

The closest game was between Hong Kong and Singapore where Singapore scraped home by one wicket off the penultimate ball.

The individual performance of the round came from Kuwait’s Khalid Butt who smashed 142 off 53 deliveries, including ten sixes, in his team’s nine-wicket win over Bahrain.

Afghanistan, Oman and UAE emerged as the frontrunners after the third day of the ACC Twenty20 Cup.

The match between Afghanistan and Hong Kong was expected to be one of the matches of the tournament, but Hong Kong, coming into the match on the back of successive defeats, again failed to impress. Afghanistan raced to 222 for 5 thanks to half centuries from Mohammed Shahzad (74 from 46 balls) and Mohammed Nabi (65 from 31) and Hong Kong almost gave up from the off as they meandered to 102 for 9.

Oman beat another disappointing side, Nepal, by 12 runs in a low-scoring game. Oman scraped 112 for 9 in their 20 overs, Dipendra Chaudhry turning in 4 for 19, but Nepal’s batsmen again failed as they were bowled out for 100.

Saudi Arabia and UAE went into their clash with 100% records, but Saudi Arabia struggled after a poor start and only managed 101 for 6, a score which never looked enough as UAE romped to a nine-wicket win in a little over half their overs. Mohammed Iqbal feasted on some average bowling to score 71 from 37 balls.

In a battle of the expats at Sharjah, Qatar edged past Bahrain by three runs in a game which went down to the last delivery. Bahrain needed four to win but Haroon Naseer was dismissed going for glory.

China were again outclassed as they went down by 132 runs to Singapore, limping to 93 for 7 when set a target of 226. Chetan Suryawanshi recorded the tournament’s second hundred, hammering a brutal 102 from 38 balls

Kuwait also eased to a straightforward win, beating Malaysia by 97 runs after bowling them out for 112.

The highly-fancied Nepal were taken to a bowl-out before they squeezed past over 2007 semi-finalists Kuwait, while Afghanistan, Malaysia, Oman, Saudi Arabia and UAE also registered wins on the second day of the ACC Twenty20 Cup.

Nepal dismissed Kuwait for 123 in 19.1 overs, Dependra Choudhari the pick of the bowlers with 4 for 11. Mahaboob Alam (32 from 33) appeared to have set Nepal on the way bit the middle order failed and it took a last-ball six from Binod Bhandari to send the game into a bowl-out. Nepal won that 3-2.

Oman were taken all the way by Qatar who scored an impressive 178 for 8, an innings built around a 38-ball 62 from Tamoor Sajjad. Oman lost early wickets but Adnan Ilyas (75 from 40) got the innings back on course and in the end they won by five wickets with nine balls in hand.

UAE managed 137 for 9 against Hong Kong but that proved too much, Hong Kong being restricted to 110 for 9 to slump to their second defeat in a row.

Afganistan dismissed Singapore for 96 in their allotted overs and then knocked off the runs in 12.4 overs to secure an eight-wicket win.

China, who continue to be fawned over by many at the top of the game, again failed in the middle as they struggled to 100 for 7 chasing Saudi Arabia’s 155 for 6.

Malaysia hit the highest total of the day, their 218 for 4 proving far too much for Bahrain who crashed to an 84-run defeat after managing 134 for 9.

	Afghanistan will be hoping to build on their success at the World Cup qualifiers © Getty Images

Afghanistan and China will be star attractions in the 12-nation Asian Twenty20 Cup which starts in Dubai on November 22.

Afghanistan surprised the world by finishing among the top six in the 2011 World Cup qualifying tournament to gain one-day international status earlier this year, while China will be making their debut in an Asian Twenty20 event.

The tournament serves as a qualifying round for next year's Asian Games and Mazhar Khan, administrator of Emirates Cricket Board, is hoping it will help expand cricket in Asia. "It's great to have China and Afghanistan in the event and a step forward towards promoting the game in Asia."

Sharjah and Abu Dhabi will host the matches from which the top three teams will join Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka for the 2010 Asian Games held in Guangzhou, China. Twenty20 cricket became an Asian Games sport after it was approved by the Olympic Council of Asia in May, a decision that could bring Twenty20 closer to full Olympic status.

Alongside China and Afghanistan, teams from Oman, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Singapore, Qatar, Hong Kong, Nepal, Saudi Arab, Malaysia and Bahrain will compete in the event which runs until November 30.

Khan believes the Cup will also help Asian teams tune up for the World Twenty20 qualifiers to be held in the UAE in February next year.

"These teams will have some good preparations for the World Twenty20 qualifiers from where two teams will get a place in the third World Twenty20 Cup to be held in the West Indies next year.”

An ICC spokesman has criticised players from Afghanistan and Uganda who absconded at the end of the recent ICC Under-19 World Cup Qualifiers in Toronto, and who are believed to be looking to claim asylum in Canada.

Reacting to concerns that the players' action will have a detrimental effect on future tournaments, a spokesman told Cricinfo: "The ICC does not condone the act of players absconding during or after playing in an overseas tournament. Such an action does not benefit anyone: it affects the member from whom the players come as it means it is weaker for subsequent events.

"It affects the country where they come from as it damages its reputation and, potentially at least, makes it harder for nationals and players without intentions to remain in a country illegally to obtain travel documents in the future; and it damages the reputation of cricket. Even those that abscond are potentially worse off as they become illegal within that country."

There has been growing concern that the recent defections will make it harder for players from some countries to obtain visas for future events. "The ICC does not play a role in obtaining visas for member boards," the spokesman said. "That is the responsibility of each of those members. It is also the responsibility of those members to have knowledge of each of their players and their likely behaviour."

Asked if the ICC might take a more hands-on role in such matters, the spokesman said it was not for the ICC to interfere in the way that teams are selected. "The ICC does not seek to vet, to approve or disapprove of any selections of players for any teams and that has to be correct; each member is free to select whoever it sees fit."

It has emerged that five members of Afghanistan's Under-19 side who were in Toronto to take part in the ICC Under-19 World Cup Qualifier failed to return home with the rest of the squad and may be seeking asylum in Canada.

This news comes days after it was revealed seven of the Uganda U-19 squad had gone missing. They are also believed to be planning to seek asylum.

Reports are confusing, but Pajhwok Afghan News claimed five players and a coach were not among the squad who were given a reception at the presidential palace in Kabul on their return home. The agency went on to say that President Hamid Karzai expressed anger when told of the missing members.

Sources laid the blame on the tour management for failing to keep hold of the squad's passports, making it far easier for them to disappear.

There has been no official comment from the Afghanistan board, although a spokesman speaking off the record insisted the six were not missing and would be returning home soon.

If the Afghanistan and Ugandan players have gone missing with the aim of claiming asylum then it raises doubts about teams from countries which might be considered high-risk regarding the likelihood of individuals taking a similar course of action being granted visas for future events.

Mohammad Shahzad struck his maiden one-day international century to lead Afghanistan to a six-wicket victory against the Netherlands in Amstelveen and level the two-match series at 1-1. Chasing 231, Shahzad ensured that Afghanistan kept pace with the asking-rate and his innings of 110 off 112 balls eventually helped them reach the target with 20 balls to spare.

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Unfortunately, a delay with visas has cost Afghanistan their place in the Under-19 World Cup Qualifiers in Toronto. The tournament gets underway tomorrow and there is still a chance Sierra Leone might join Afghanistan on the sidelines, as they too have had visa problems. Here's the full story.

The most talented young players in Associate and Affiliate cricket gather in Toronto this week in an attempt to qualify for the 2010 Under-19 World Cup, staged in New Zealand.

While the opportunity of competing against the best young squads from larger nations, such as Australia and India, is at the forefront of the players' ambitions, the tournament gives them a chance to impress and perhaps even press for a place in the senior team. Ireland's Paul Stirling, a highly regarded left-hander, turns 19 September 3 and displayed his potential during his senior side's three-run defeat to England on Thursday, cracking 30 from 26.

Click here for the full story.

Tony Munro

Afghanistan allrounder, Raees Ahmadzai, has said his team's batsmen are looking forward to their debut in the Intercontinental Cup, against Zimbabwe A, starting in Mutare today. The team recently had a 10-day training camp in Kabul, which included a three-day game and two two-day games as part of their preparations for their foray into multi-day cricket at the ICC level.

"Some of the players made hundreds, so we will hopefully do some good in Zimbabwe in the four-day match," Ahmadzai told Cricinfo. He said the team had been busy playing club cricket in Afghanistan and "everyone is in good form."

Afghanistan qualified for the Intercontinental Cup, the ICC's multi-day format competition for its Associate and Affiliate members after finishing fifth in the World Cup Qualifiers in South Africa in April.

A number of important Associate and Affiliate dates have been confirmed by the ICC this past week.

The ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier will take place in the United Arab Emirates from February 9-13, 2010. This eight-team event featuring Associate and Affiliate sides vying for the two places on offer at the ICC World Twenty20 2010 in the West Indies will be played entirely at Dubai Sports City.

September sees the ICC Under-19 World Cup Qualifiers take place in Canada. The event runs from September 1 to 13 in Toronto with 10 teams competing for the six remaining places for the Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand from January 16-30, 2010.

The ICC World Cricket League Division 6 (WCL Div.6) will be held in Singapore from August 29 to September 5 with teams from Singapore, Guernsey, Malaysia, Bahrain, Botswana and Norway battling it out in one group across three venues: Kalang, Singapore CC and Indian Association. The top two teams from WCL Div. 6 will win promotion to Division 5.

WCL Div. 5 has been confirmed to be hosted by Nepal from February 20-27, 2010. The teams include host Nepal, Fiji, Jersey, USA and the two qualifiers from WCL Div. 6.

The summer season of Associate cricket continues to take shape with various announcements about games being arranged.

Afghanistan's first foray into mainstream competition starts in the rather unlikely setting of Mutare where they take on Zimbabwe in a four-day Intercontinental Cup tie starting on August 16. From there the Afghans head to Europe where they meet Netherlands in the same competition starting on August 24 and follow that with their first two stand-alone ODIs on August 30 and September 1.

Kenya, meanwhile, head to Toronto where their Intercontinental Cup tie against Canada starts on August 7 and is followed by three ODIs on August 12, 14 and 16.

On August 17 Scotland's game with Ireland starts, and that is followed by an ODI weekend as two matches are held on August 22 and 23 ahead of Ireland's ODI against England on August 27 and Scotland's against Australia on August 28.

In the new Intercontinental Shield, Bermuda host Uganda in a four-day match starting on August 17 and the two then play a brace of one-day games on August 22 and 23 with a one-off Twenty20 clash on August 24

Afghanistan's first foray into the world of international cricket following the ICC World Cup Qualifiers could happen as soon as the end of July.

Zimbabwe Cricket has confirmed that it is looking at possibly staging its opening four-day match in the 2009-10 Intercontinental Cup at home to Afghanistan on July 30.

Zimbabwe, who will be fielding an A team in the competition, albeit not under that name, will then host a match against Kenya at the start of October.

In April, Matthew Fleming headed to Afghanistan to open cricket pitches and spread the good name of MCC - and, indeed, the sport - among rural communities in the country. It was a triumph, and Leslie Knott - one of the film-makers following Afghanistan's national team - has put up a video of Fleming's tour, which you can see below.

Sarah Fane, chairman of Afghan Connection, meets Matthew Fleming to unveil new cricket pitches in a remote region of Afghanistan

	© Sarah Fane

Two Britons, an Afghan and a Swede drive 12 hours to and from a school in Andarab to deliver cricket equipment to the kids. It has been an amazing feat and journey.

We set out on a stunning dawn in Kabul with clear skies and a long road ahead. Ali, our driver, is a splendid character and drove me all around Afghanistan last year. Rotund and jolly and sporting a moustache and a heart warming smile, he is larger than life and a great companion.
We head up towards the Salang (yet again for me) and stop half way up by the river for a picnic breakfast provided by Jorgen, the Swedish Programme Director for SCA. Wonderful breakfast looking up to the snows of the Hindu Kush. Most perfect morning to see the views from the top of the pass stretching for miles along the spines and great for Matthew Fleming to have a first taste of Afghanistan beyond Kabul.

	© Sarah Fane

The tunnel seemed longer than ever, with visibility down to a few feet in the three kilometres of Stygian darkness, thick with pollution and choking fumes.

On up towards the north for four hours and then off the tarmac and onto the off-road part of the trip. I didn’t recognise the landscape...there has been so much rain and my last visit was during a drought. The views are so beautiful: valleys stretching for miles, straddling the river and everything is so green. Poppies and wild flowers everywhere, farmers in the fields and intricate networks of irrigation channels all full and criss-crossing their way over the land. Huge bands of the Hindu Kush dominate the horizon.

Ahead, we meet a military ISAF convoy travelling painstakingly slowly and looking wholly out of place in this peaceful, timeless scene. Great armoured vehicles with men armed to the hilt surveying the landscape from the turrets. Huge red signs warn against trying to overtake, so we follow this line along the bumpiest of tracks .None of us can remember how far the school is down this track and as the minutes and hours pass we keep expecting it round every corner...but it never comes.

Then, at last, I recognise the local bazaar and see the school and six-and-a-half hours after we leave Kabul, we finally enter the gates to the school.

	© Sarah Fane

It is so worthwhile. The school is Sang Boran and is twinned to Eton College. They have 2000 boys and only 10 classrooms and everywhere the children are outside or in tents studying in the heat of the Andarab noon. Afghan Connection has managed to get two donors to build a school for these boys and the workmen and engineers are hard at work on site. We are greeted with a warm welcome form Nasrullah—my favourite teacher - and the headmaster and other staff. They all say how happy they are in the community and the school that the new buildings are going up and at last they will have a proper school. They say that they are amazed that “a lady from another land” has found the means to build them a school.

We visit all the classes outside and see the new cricket pitch funded by MCC well under construction. Then Matthew is introduced as a famous cricketer from England and we start to hand out all the cricket equipment provided by the Fairstead Trust. Hundreds of children crowd around the vehicle as 15 are chosen to try on all the new kit. Matthew puts the stumps in to the hard ground and a space is cleared and he begins a coaching session. Everywhere I look I see children perched on piles of bricks or hanging out of windows or joining the crowd to watch the scene. Everyone is so happy, most of all me.

	© Sarah Fane

The boys play on as we are led to lunch in a tiny room overlooking the hills and mountains in this idyllic spot. Have a wonderful lunch all sitting on the carpet eating kebabs and naan with the teachers and watching on my computer, the film of my last visit...which they love.

We say our goodbyes, conscious that with another 6 hours drive ahead of us, we will not reach Kabul before nightfall.

It has been quite a few days for Matthew, who only arrived after 24-hour flight from London yesterday. He played in the Kabul Cup and then travelled to the remotest parts of Afghanistan to touch it with cricket!

As we come back into Kabul, there is a dust storm and the winds sweep across the Shomali plain. The distant hills come alive with light as the lightning strikes to the East. Tiny stalls line the route with little swinging lamps and the streets are alive and full of stall holders selling their wares. A car with a bemused looking goat strapped to the roof overtakes us. Ungainly wedding halls are lit up like great ships in the night and as we drive through this scene of a chaotic evening, which is so vibrant. Ali tells us how it was under the Taliban: no electricity, no music, no thriving businesses, no joy.

But we have seen so much joy today and perhaps we may one day see an Afghan cricketer who heralded from Sang Boran and was inspired by some English cricketer who chanced to call at his school.

Sarah Fane is chairman of the charity Afghan Connection with whom MCC work to provide cricket equipment in Afghanistan. Matthew Fleming is the former Kent and England allrounder now working for MCC.

All photos are copyright Sarah Fane 2009

	Man-of-the-Match Aimal Wafa is lifted from the field after Afghanistan's win © ACC

Nepal batted on winning the toss, but while the first two overs produced 23 runs, two wickets fell and thereafter the innings struggled for any momentum. Only Prithu Baskota looked to take the attack to the bowlers, hammering three sixes on his way to 81. Some late hitting helped Nepal to 186 for 8, with 73 coming off the last ten overs after they had been 113 for 6.

Afghanistan also wobbled early on, and at 54 for 3 in the 16th over, Nepal appeared to be back on track. But Man of the Match Aimal Wafa (61*) and Asgher Hotak (478) came together at 84 for 4 and not only consolidated but also kept up with the required rate, adding an unbeaten 106 for the fifth wicket to see their side home.

There was less drama in the other semi-final where Hong Kong beat Qatar by 23 runs, despite only making 161 themselves.

Nepal and Afghanistan made it two wins out of two on the second day of the ACC Under-19 Elite Cup in Kuwait.

Nepal’s win was against Malaysia, one of the pre-tournament favourites, and it extended their winning run against them to seven matches. Malaysia batted on winning the toss and scored 203, built around 90 from Keithan. Gyanendra Malla, Nepal’s captain, made 86 not out as they passed the target with six wickets in hand.

Afghanistan dismissed Oman for 188 (their last five wickets fell for 20) and then cruised to an eight-wicket win as Iqbal Maliki (86)and Noor ul Haq (79) put on 157 for the first wicket.

Hong Kong opened their account with a four-wicket win over Singapore who they bowled out for 124, aided by no fewer than five run-outs. Jamie Atkinson, who made his first-class debut for Durham UCCE earlier this month, hit 61 to spearhead the chase.

Pre-tournament favourites Malaysia and Nepal cruised to easy wins on the opening day of the ten-team ACC Under-19 Elite Cup in Kuwait. Afghanistan, whose senior side were the success story of the recent ICC World Cup Qualifiers, also got off to a flying start, but there was a surprise defeat for UAE.

Malaysia eased to a five-wicket win with more than ten overs to spare over Singapore after bowling them out for 183, Prem Dadlani providing the bulk of Singapore’s run with 96.

Nepal had more trouble in beating Saudi Arabia, and they had Amrit Bhattarai to thank as his 82 helped them to 233 after they had slipped to 76 for 7. That was too much for the Saudis who were bowled out for 96.

Afghanistan thrashed Bhutan by eight wickets after bowling them out for 63, ambling home in 13 overs.

UAE were bundled to a two-wicket defeat by Qatar after being bowled out for 164.

As the dust settles on the ICC World Cup Qualifiers – aside from Sunday’s rather pointless play-offs – we highlight what each team comes away from South Africa with.

Qualification for the 2011 World Cup
Canada, Ireland, Kenya, Netherlands

ODI status for four years
Afghanistan, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, Netherlands, Scotland

Intercontinental Cup 2009-10
Afghanistan, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, Namibia, Netherlands, Scotland, UAE

ICC World Cricket League Division 1
Afghanistan, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, Netherlands, Scotland

ICC World Cricket League Division 2
Bermuda, Namibia, Uganda, UAE

ICC World Cricket League Division 3
Denmark, Oman

ICC High Performance Programme grant funding 2009 and 2010
Afghanistan, Bermuda, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, Namibia, Netherlands, Scotland, UAE, Uganda

Afghanistan will begin their bid to secure a place in the 2011 World Cup by taking on Denmark in the opening game of the World Cup Qualifiers on April 1. It is the first of their five matches and upcoming opponents include Bermuda, Kenya, Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates.

If Afghanistan finish among the top four in Group B, they will progress to the Super Eights stage and, if they are among the top four at the end of the tournament, they will qualify for the World Cup

"Denmark is a must-win match because it would leave us needing one more victory to reach the Super Eights phase," Afghanistan coach Kabir Khan told AFP. "Afghanistan have progressed by leaps and bounds and, if we play to our potential, qualification for the World Cup is possible. Being a largely unknown cricket entity can only help us.

"We have not played much cricket at international level so other teams do not know much about us, but we know a lot about them, especially the United Arab Emirates as I coached them for two years.”

Tony Munro

Regardless of what happens at next month's World Cup Qualifiers (WCQs), Afghanistan will play against at least of two of Asia's Test nations in 2010, when cricket makes its debut the South Asian Games next year in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

The matches, to be played according to the Twenty20 format, will be contested by under-21 teams from Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Asian Cricket Council chief executive, Syed Ashraful Huq, said the Twenty20 format would surely help "the developing countries put up a good show". "Twenty20 is a great leveller and should Afghanistan, Bhutan and Maldives and Nepal come up against the ODI countries, the matches should be quite competitive," Huq said.

Nepal have beaten Bangladesh, New Zealand, Pakistan and South Africa in Under-19 World Cups.

Cricket will also debut at the Asian Games in Guangzhou, China from November 11-27, 2010 and will be played in the Twenty20 format as well. Asia's non-Test countries will contest the qualifying event for that tournament, the ACC Twenty20 Cup 2009, in the United Arab Emirates from November 4-13, 2009.

Afghanistan have approached the former Pakistan captain Javed Miandad to help them qualify for the 2011 World Cup in the subcontinent. The team won the World Cricket League (WCL) Division 3 tournament in Argentina in January and booked their place in the World Cup qualifiers in South Africa this April.

Miandad quit as director general of the Pakistan Cricket Board last month and he's set to go to China in March as a cricket ambassador.

"I have been approached and since I greatly appreciate their rise in international cricket, I will definitely go there and help them get a place in the World Cup," Miandad told AFP. "Pakistan has always supported Afghanistan. Their team practiced in Lahore before they went to Argentina and as a Pakistan cricket official I did what I could do to help them.”

Afghanistan’s rise is remarkable for a war-ravaged nation and it’s no surprise they are a rage among the minnows. Pakistan have played a significant part in their growth, providing them training and equipment, something their own government failed to do. The team, which came together only in 2002, also won Divisions 4 and 5 in the WCL.

Afghanistan need to make it to the semi-finals in South Africa to ensure a place at the World Cup. Their first game is against Denmark on April 1 at Vanderbijlpark.

Afghanistan's victorious cricketers, who were the toast of Kabul on Tuesday, realise they will have to meet greater challenges in order to qualify for the 2011 World Cup. The team, whose top-place finish at the ICC World Cricket League Division 3 in Argentina earned them a spot at the World Cup Qualifiers in April, was greeted by enthusiastic fans on their return to Kabul, and even had a small parade through the city. However, the lack of financial backing remains a worry.

"We never even thought we could expect to do so well," the team's secretary-general, Taj Malik, told AFP. "But the team's main test is still ahead of us." Afghanistan need to make it to the semi-finals of the qualifying tournament in South Africa to ensure a place at the 2011 World Cup in the subcontinent.

Afghanistan's progress towards the World Cup dream has been remarkable - they also won Divisions 4 and 5 - and Malik said the team's achievement was historic given that the they had come together in 2002, after the fall of the hardline Taliban regime. "We thought that maybe in 2015 or 2020 we could be where we are today."

He said the players will rest for 20 days before starting their preparations for the World Cup Qualifiers. "We will try to strengthen the weaknesses of our team. We will prepare our team for the toughness of the World Cup," he said.

Malik said the team, many of whose players honed their skills in refugee camps in Pakistan, had not got financial support from the government. "So far they have not been given a salary, no one has given them any benefits," he said. "It is important to improve the life of the players if we want to see them in the World Cup."

Afghanistan's winning the World Cricket League Division Three title in Argentina may have sparked euphoria throughout the country but the team are reported to be less than impressed by the reception on their arrival in Kabul. “We were very disappointed that there was no cabinet minister, vice president or president to welcome us home following our extraordinary achievement,” batsman Raees Ahmadzai told BBC. "It shows that they don't like cricket or our team. But we couldn't believe it when we saw people dancing and cheering in the cold weather.''

Another team member absolved President Hamid Karzai - "a big supporter" - of any blame but said ministers should have been present. "This is a big achievement for Afghanistan. But our victory and team belongs to the Afghan people not to ministers.''

A cabinet minister contacted by the BBC said what happened was "regrettable" and that official engagements had prevented them from attending.

	Unconfined joy for Afghanistan © ICC / CricketEurope

Hamid Hassan

It is hard to describe how excited I am at Afghanistan reaching the World Cup Qualifiers. When I think that we came so close to being defeated by Cayman Islands on Friday and getting knocked out, I still can’t believe that the rain saved us from defeat!

Thankfully the performance on Saturday was much better and we finally made some runs in this tournament, before Mohammad Nabi and I shared most of the wickets when we were bowling.

When the game finished we still didn’t know where we had finished in the table and then somebody came over to tell our manager that we were the Division 3 Champions and we just started jumping around in our changing room and singing!

We then travelled to Belgrano, which is the main ground in Argentina, where there were still lots of people waiting to see the presentation despite the fact the game at that ground had finished over one hour earlier. We got a really nice round of applause and then we were presented with the trophy. I had lots of television interviews to do before I could join my team mates in the celebrations!

I am about to fly back to Afghanistan tonight from Buenos Aires Airport, but it is such a long journey we will not get back home until Tuesday. There will be lots of people waiting for us in Kabul and I am very excited about seeing them. 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.

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.

After the celebrations in Kabul, I will go home to Peshawar for a couple of days and then head to play first-class cricket in Pakistan. We then will have a training camp in early March, which will hopefully help our preparations ahead of the Qualifiers. We had a camp in Lahore before this tournament, where I was coached by some of the greats of the game, and I hope I will be able to learn a lot more about the physical and mental side of the game.

We are all really excited about the challenge of playing against the best Associate teams. We know that we have to improve on our batting as I think we are capable of doing much better. We have proved in Division 3, 4 and 5 of the World Cricket League that we have a great bowling attack and that is our strength, but we need to start scoring at least 200 runs as it will be harder against the stronger teams. I think our batters have the talent to score at least 250.

It will be amazing playing against some of the top Associate teams that I have watched play on television at previous World Cups, but we will remember if Ireland can beat Pakistan and Kenya can get to the semi-finals of the 2003 World Cup, then we can also cause some surprises. If I have learnt anything from the game against the Cayman Islands, it is that anything can happen in cricket!

I am looking forward to playing against people like Steve Tikolo from Kenya and Jeremy Bray from Ireland and we will be really happy to have the chance to play against such good players.

Finally, I would like to thank everybody who has read my column this week and for all of the messages. All the team used to gather around the computer in the evenings to read all of the comments from fans and all of the messages of encouragement were a real inspiration for us.

I hope you will continue to support us and bring us luck at the World Cup Qualifier as we are all desperate to play ODI cricket and reach 2011.

Papua New Guinea won their third match in a row, defeating Uganda by 26 runs at Belgrano while Afghanistan beat the hosts, Argentina, on the third day of the World Cricket League. Hong Kong handed Cayman Islands its third straight defeat, too. Click here for the round-up.

Hamid Hassan

We are all so relieved that we managed to beat Hong Kong on Sunday to get ourselves back into the tournament and give us a chance of getting a place in the World Cup Qualifiers.

Our matches against Hong Kong are always very close and it was another tense finish; I was praying after every ball towards the end that we would be able to take the final wicket. It was such a relief when we finally got out Nadeem Ahmed. I was thinking in the field of all the people back in Afghanistan who would be praying for us to do well and that was a real inspiration as well for the team.

The first game against Uganda was very disappointing, as we didn’t bat very well, even though we did almost end up winning the game in the end after Rais’s fantastic innings.

When I went into bat and we still needed 30 to win, I didn’t really think I had that much chance of winning the match but I gave it my best effort.

I don’t feel that I have bowled as well as I could have during the course of this tournament. I injured myself a couple of months ago and couldn’t bowl as many overs as I would have liked in the build-up to this event. However, against Hong Kong I finally felt like that I am beginning to find my rhythm and I am hoping that I will be able to bowl at full pace today.

I managed to cut out my no-balls and bowl a much better line and length and I enjoyed the bouncy Belgrano wicket.

Everybody is asking me why I am not bowling my yorkers in this tournament, which worked well for me in Division 4, but I don’t want to bowl them at the moment as I don’t want to over pitch and get hit for six.

The level of interest back at home is amazing and I am getting e-mails and phone calls all the time from people in Afghanistan. I have been told that on the television at home, all the news bulletins have the score update on the screen every minute to keep everybody updated. Some of the radio shows also update the scores all the time, while I know my family follow the scores on the internet.

I have really enjoyed Argentina and the people in Buenos Aires have been extremely hospitable to us. I don’t think that many of them have ever met anybody from Afghanistan before and because I speak good English I have had to do lots of television interviews, although I think I will need to learn some more Spanish!

If we manage to get promoted from Division 3, I want to go back to the market that we went to on the tournament rest day and buy some things to celebrate. I am confident we can win our final three matches and it would be very exciting if we can reach the World Cup Qualifiers. I don’t want to look too much further ahead than that at the moment and instead just concentrate on doing well in Argentina.

Hamid Hassan is the Afghanistan fast bowler

Tony Munro

Afghanistan, sentimental favourites for this month's World Cricket League Division 3 tournament, are currently mingling with some famous names at their training camp in Lahore.

Leading batsman, Raees Ahmadzai, told Cricinfo this week that Shoaib Akhtar, Aamir Sohail, Rashid Latif, Ijaz Ahmed and Aaqib Javed, were amongst those providing guidance to the Afghans during the two week camp which finishes this Saturday.

Ahmadzai said the team had enjoyed the camp and the chance to tap into the expert knowledge of their mentors.

"We have discussed a lot of cricket,”Ahmadzai said. “Now the players are very relaxed, They feel better and look like complete cricketers. We worked a lot on temperament in camp. Our fast bowlers worked on how to control the new ball and batsmen on how we make partnerships to chase big targets."

Ahmadzai said the players were well rewarded after winning the WCL Division 4 title last year.
"The Governor of Ningrahar Province [in the country's east] gave all the players land for houses."

During their march along the World Cricket League, Afghanistan won the Division 4 and Division 5 tournaments, playing 12 games, winning 10 and losing just one. They were unbeaten in the stronger Division 4 tournament. Standing in its way in Division 3 are Argentina, Cayman Islands, Hong Kong, Papua New Guinea and Uganda, whom Afghanistan plays in its first match on January 24.

The schedule for the ICC World Cricket League Division 3 which takes place in Argentina next month has been announced. The two finalists will progress to the ICC World Cup Qualifiers in South Africa in April.

Click here for the complete schedule

By Tony Munro

The victorious Afghanistan players were treated like national heroes on their return to Kabul this week fresh from their win in the World Cricket League Division 4 tournament in Tanzania.

"As a lot of people are following us going to the World Cup," said Basheer Stanekzai, the Afghanistan Cricket Federation's general manager marketing and the assistant manager of the national team.

"We had a large media coverage when we arrived to Kabul - three TV channels telecast live from airport, we were welcomed by cabinet ministers, members of parliament and members of the National Olympic Committee."

The ACF already has plans for two camps as part of its preparations for the Division 3 tournament in Argentina in January.

The first camp will be held in Peshawar, Pakistan, and from a pool of 25 players, the final squad of 14 for Argentina will be selected.

Stanekzai said it was hoped the final squad would then assemble for a month-long camp in India as an acclimatisation method.

"As the weather in Argentina will be warm, we are looking at a warm place in India."
Should Afghanistan reach the final of the Division 3 tournament it would then proceed to the World Cup Qualifiers in South Africa in April.

During their march along the World Cricket League, Afghanistan won the Division 4 and Division 5 tournaments, playing 12 games, winning 10, losing just the one. They were unbeaten in the stronger Division 4 tournament.

Standing in its way in Division 3 are Argentina, the Cayman Islands, Hong Kong, Papua New Guinea and Uganda.

Hamid Hassan, Afghanistan’s fast bowler, on taking a step nearer to the 2011 World Cup.

It would be the best moment of my life if I get to play at the World Cup and I am so happy I have taken a step closer to realising that dream today.

There was a lot of pressure on us ahead of the game against Italy, as we knew that if we lost the game we wouldn’t get promoted from Division 4. We played extremely well today and I am proud of the team and very grateful to all the help and support that our coach Kabir Khan has provided us.

My role in the Afghanistan team at this tournament is to come on after the opening bowlers have finished their spell.

I quite like the fact teams think that they have faced all the Afghanistan fast bowlers and then I come on to bowl even faster.

I like bowling with the new ball but in this team I try and use the old ball to my advantage and focus on bowling an excellent line and length. I try to bowl full and straight so I pick up most of my wickets by bowling people or getting them out leg before wicket.

My yorker has worked really well in this tournament and I think that is why I have taken some many wickets in Tanzania.

My cricket idol is Andrew Flintoff – I think he is a world-class player. I was lucky enough to be a net bowler for England at Lord’s back in 2006, when I was with the MCC, and when Flintoff found out that I was from Afghanistan he gave me his England shirt which I often wear and I have it with me in Tanzania. He said that I was a very good bowler and told me to work hard on my game.

I really enjoyed having the opportunity to bowl against the likes of Kevin Pietersen and Michael Vaughan and I even managed to dismiss Ian Bell and Marcus Trescothick in the nets which made me feel very proud.

After this tournament, we will go back to Afghanistan and have some rest and then probably have a training camp for two or three months to get ready for Argentina.

I would love to have the opportunity to go and play cricket in some other countries – it would be fantastic to play county cricket or the Indian Premier League. My dream would be to play for Lancashire with Flintoff.

I hope that we can finish a wonderful week in Tanzania by winning the final against Hong Kong who is a very strong team.

When we won the World Cricket League Division 5 in Jersey there were some great celebrations when we arrived back in Kabul and people came to greet us at the airport. It would be great if we can repeat those scenes by winning the tournament here as well.

I know from speaking to my family and friends back in Afghanistan that all of the people at home are very happy that we have got promoted – they will be even happier if we add another trophy to our collection.

By Tony Munro

Afghanistan have made only minor changes for the ICC World Cricket League Division Four tournament to be played in Tanzania from October 4 to 11. Afghanistan, along with the winner, Jersey, have been promoted from Division Five, and will join the host, Hong Kong, Fiji and Italy.

Nasratullah Nasrat, Shafiqullah Shafaq, Shahpur Zadran have come into the squad, which was runners-up in the Division Five tournament in Jersey recently, replacing Jalat Khan Naseri, Abdul Rashid Zadran and Gulbadin Naid.

Squad: Norooz Khan Mangal (capt), Karim Khan Sedeq, Rais Ahamdzai, Dawlat Ahamdzai, Ahamd Shah Ahmadi, Noor Ali Noori, Mohammad Asghar Stanikzai, Hasti Gul Abed, Mohd. Nabi Eisakhil, Samiullah Shenwari, Hamid Hassan, Nasratullah Nasrat, Shafiqullah Shafaq, Shahpur Zadran. Coach: Mohammad Kabir

Next week's ICC annual get-together promises to have more than its fair share of politicking, posturing and controversy. But, unless there is a major about-turn, it should also be a watershed for the Associates and Affiliates.

In 2009, income from the ICC's six-year media deal with ESPN-Star, worth over US$1 billion, kicks in, and while the game's big boys will still keep the lion's share, the rest will see substantial increases in their incomes.

Although the ICC draws considerable flak on many fronts, it is quietly committed to promoting the game in as many countries as possible, and it does that by means of a myriad of competitions and initiatives. Most do not warrant much media attention, but they are there and they work.

Until now, the gripe of the smaller countries, and especially those bubbling just underneath the top flight, has been about the inequality of the way in which the game is financed. That was never more apparent than when it came to earnings from last year's World Cup.

Ireland got a flat fee of US$125,000 a year for four years for taking part, and on top of that they received another $50,000 for reaching the Super Eights. However, because of the extra costs involved in their progression, not least because their players are not professional cricketers and their absences from their full-time jobs had to be underwritten, Ireland's success actually left the board out of pocket.

Zimbabwe, on the other hand, turned up, tied with Ireland and never threatened to progress after being thumped by Pakistan and West Indies. For those three matches, Zimbabwe Cricket received US$11 million, their share of the pot as a Full Member.

The top six Associates receive no more than US$500,000 a year - some substantially less - to fund their entire operations. Out of that they have to pay all their cricketing and administration costs. Only those with a low cost of living, such as Kenya, can hope to maintain a professional squad on that kind of money.

The gulf between the haves and have-nots is further widened by the limited sums Associates can earn from sponsorship and media contracts. Zimbabwe can exploit home series against, say, India to carve out lucrative TV deals worth millions, and on the back of that, attract shirt- and other corporate sponsorship. As highlighted by Scotland's failure to secure any TV deal for their forthcoming ODI against England, the Associates struggle to get such income streams.

The new deals will provide a substantial increase for Associates, especially for the countries who are pressing for space at the top table. Until now the share has been roughly equal, rewarding Netherlands and Kenya on par with Thailand and Fiji. The new system will see more demarcation between the top Associates and the rest.

The leading ten could earn as much as US$1.5 million a year from 2009. There will then be an onus on them to professionalise their administrations, but several of them are already well down that route. They will also be more accountable - the ICC does not want a repeat of the mess that came following a spike in Kenya's funding earlier in the decade.

The second-string Associates will also get more - around US$160,000 as a base figure - but then again the demands on them are less. Even Affiliates will receive US$15,000, with the opportunity for more should they make a good enough case. There will also be more cash in the pot for participating and hosting competitions.

There have never been more opportunities for development outside the Full Member countries, but there remain some nagging worries.

The main one is how to bridge the gap between semi and full-blown professionalism. Almost all the Associates rely on dedicated amateurs, both on and off the field. As the number of ICC competitions has increased - and they have to be welcomed - the pressure has begun to tell. Scotland and Ireland particularly have already found players cannot meet all their commitments, and even the increased income will not allow them to employ a full-time squad.

"So much of putting players on full-time retainers depends on how many fixtures we can command," Warren Deutrom, Cricket Ireland's chief executive, said. "At the moment, all we can promise the squad in 2009 is a World Cup qualifying campaign, eight FP Trophy matches, an England game, and probably some Intercontinental Cup matches. Of course, we hope to have more, but can't be sure at the moment.

"Our top players are already plying their trade in county cricket, while others have full-time jobs which they may not wish to give up. The actual number of players that the coach will want to put on a full-time contract, or else the number that even want to have one, may not be that many."

The other quandary is how to get them fixtures. Kenya, widely regarded as the leading Associate, have found it almost impossible to get Full Member countries to visit or host them. As a result they invariably play other Associates. Good for the win-loss ratio, not so clever in providing the kind of experience that no amount of money can buy.

These issues will need to be addressed, but for now the future has never looked so promising beyond the Test world.

	An Afghan man in Kabul celebrates Afghanistan's World Cricket League triumph © AFP

Hamid Karzai, the president of Afghanistan, added his voice to those of exuberant cricket fans welcoming Afghanistan's young team home Monday after they stayed on course for possible qualification for the 2011 World Cup.

The team was met at the airport in Kabul by sporting officials and a small throng of supporters who presented them with garlands before leading them through the city in a noisy, flag-waving cavalcade.

More fans waited at the stadium, famous for its Taliban-era executions, but the numbers were limited for security reasons, one cricketing official said, with the threat of extremist attacks ever-present in Afghanistan.

In a statement, Karzai described the team and their achievement in winning the final of the World Cricket League Division 5 in Jersey as "a source of pride and honour for Afghanistan.

"With this victory, the national cricket team of Afghanistan showed that despite years-long war and financial problems, Afghans can achieve many glories.”

Karzai's government is battling to rebuild Afghanistan after decades of war but faces a growing Taliban-led insurgency, booming narcotics trade and corruption undermining morale.

Success at the tournament means Afghanistan, along with Jersey, will compete in the ICC World Cricket League division four in October, taking them one step further along the road to possible World Cup qualification.

Following their qualification into Division 4 of the World Cricket League yesterday, Afghanistan marked a memorable week by winning Division 5 of the competition, beating the hosts Jersey in a thrilling two-wicket final.

A fine all-round performance from Hasti Gul guided Afghanistan to the World Cricket League Division 5 title, with a tense two-wicket victory, in a low-scoring thriller against hosts Jersey. Gul hit an unbeaten 29, as Afghanistan slumped to 62 for 8 chasing just 81 for victory, to follow his three wickets.

Jersey were bundled out in less than 40 overs, but didn't give up the chance of claiming a trophy in front of their home crowd without a real fight. Ryan Driver, the former Lancashire and Worcestershire batsman, took four wickets with his medium-pace. However, Gul didn't take a backward step and launched the only two sixes of the match - over long-on and deep square-leg - to take Afghanistan within touching distance.

Click here for the full report.

Cricinfo has learned that the Afro-Asia Cup, which was reported to have been quietly sidelined after the 2007 event in Bangalore, has been revived.

Plans had been discussed whereby the existing Asia Cup, which takes place in Pakistan next month, would be supplemented with an African Cup. The winners of the two tournaments would then play off in an Afro-Asia final.

However, the packed international schedule meant that it was too difficult to find room for the African competition in 2008 and so a competition using the old three-ODI format will be held in Kenya during 2009.

Although the event has raised valuable funds for the African Cricket Association and the Asian Cricket Council, it has been less than a hit with audiences and has struggled to find a niche in the calendar. Despite the best intentions of the two associations, the weight of cricket means that it is still by no means certain to proceed.

Not have the ICC cut the number of Associates at the next World Cup from six to four at the behest of the hosts, but the Asian Cricket Council hopes that two of those slots will be taken by Asian counties.

"India beating Australia is very good for cricket in Asia and will encourage nations like Bangladesh, United Arab Emirates, China and Afghanistan," Ashraful Huq, a former secretary of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, told AFP. "I watched both the finals in Australia and was amazed how the young Indian team paid the Australians back, both on and off the field."

Click here for the full story

A five-day cricket tournament is being held in Lashkargah in the southern Helmand province in Afghanistan.

The number of people actively participating in cricket outside the Test-playing countries increased 17% in 2007, according to the ICC.

The research, carried out by the ICC's development program, was collated from 33 Associate and 58 Affiliate members. It showed that there were 338,051 male and female players in those countries in 2007, an increase of 49,158 on the previous year. Since 2002, when there were 144,047 participants, there has been a 135% rise.

Click here for the full story.

Afghanistan cricket has been boosted by their success in last November’s ACC Twenty20 Cup where they finished joint winners. More than US$23,000 was donated by the president and local businesses and in addition US$40,000 was given by Afghans in Kuwait, where the tournament was played. The government also promised to give land to each member of the victorious squad. More significantly, the education minister has pledged to build a ground in Kabul for school cricket.

Taj Malik, the Afghanistan Cricket Federations's secretary general, said: "There are so many other awards, medals, cash prizes, gifts , free mobile phones, watches, certificates, it was very useful for Afghan cricket. Now cricket is flying high in Afghanistan."

	Singapore's captain Rezza Gaznavi receives the ACC Under-15 Elite Cup © ACC

The Asian Cricket Council had taken drastic action on Saturday and kicked out hosts and defending champions Nepal as well as Afghanistan, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Malaysia, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Thailand after its medical board reported that all the squads from those countries contained players over the stipulated age limit. Sunday's semi-finals - Nepal v Singapore and Afghanistan v Hong Kong - were scrapped.

Click here for the full story.

	© The Daily Telegraph

Cricket has seized the popular imagination in Afghanistan since 2001, a country where the game was unknown until waves of refugees fleeing 30 years of fighting picked it up in camps along the Pakistan border. Earlier this month Afghanistan's fledgling national side came from nowhere to win the Asia Cricket Council's Twenty20 Cup in Kuwait.

Bolstered by that success, the Afghan Cricket Federation is moving to gain entry to the next ICC World Twenty20.

Subtleties of guile and tactic have yet to take hold in the Afghan game, which seems to appeal more to the famously warlike Afghan temperament. Defensive shots are regarded with disdain.

"This is like being in Helmand," muttered an onlooker at the training session, ducking for cover as a ball winged overhead with the trajectory of a tracer bullet, the first in a sustained bombardment.

Shahzada Masood, Afgahnistan’s cricket chief, has told Reuters that if his country had half the facilities available to other teams then nobody would be able to beat them.

Click here for the full story

Matthew Fleming: heading an MCC task-force © Getty Images

Matthew Fleming, the former Kent and England allrounder, will travel to Afghanistan this week to try to identify ways in which Marylebone Cricket Club can help to further develop the sport in the region.

Fleming, who sits on the main MCC Committee, is being sent by the club to investigate how MCC can strengthen its links with cricket in Afghanistan in accordance with its worldwide remit to help promote the game.

The MCC-Afghanistan relationship began with an historic fixture between the two sides in Mumbai in March 2006, where an MCC team led by former England captain, Mike Gatting, were thrashed by 179 runs. Two members of that successful Afghan team - Hamid Hassan and Mohammad Nabi - subsequently spent time at Lord's as MCC Young Cricketers. In 2007, Hassan - a fast bowler - made history when he became the first Afghan cricketer to play at Lord's, for MCC against Europe.

Speaking ahead of his trip, Fleming said: "Having enjoyed playing cricket for England in Pakistan and Bangladesh, I know the passion that exists for cricket in the region. I'm looking forward to seeing for myself how cricket in Afghanistan is developing, and how MCC can help with this process.

"With my experience in the Armed Forces [he served as an officer in the Royal Green Jackets], I am all too aware of the effects a conflict has on a country's people. If the sport can help to become a positive, motivating factor for the increasingly cricket-loving population of Afghanistan, that can only be a good thing."


MCC's secretary & chief executive, Keith Bradshaw, said: "Developing cricket worldwide is a core remit of MCC, and it's one we take very seriously. Matthew is the perfect ambassador for us to send out to Afghanistan. With his knowledge of the region, and of course his cricketing experience, he'll be able to investigate the ways in which the club can demonstrably help to develop cricket in the country."

Fleming's visit to Afghanistan has been co-ordinated by Nick Lockwood, Counter Narcotics and Rule of Law, at the British Embassy in Kabul. The four-day trip will culminate on Sunday, November 18, with a visit to the National Training Camp at the Afghanistan National Cricket Academy.

The sport's popularity in Afghanistan has surged since many of the refugees who fled from the country in the early 1980s, after the Soviet invasion, started to return from Pakistan - where they saw the game and started to play and follow it.

Afghanistan and Oman tied the final of the ACC Twenty20 Cup in Kuwait.

Click here for more

The 2007 ACC Twenty20 Cup gets underway on October 27, a ten-team tournament held in Kuwait.

Hong Kong Cricket's website, which Cricinfo hosts, will have more once the tournament gets underway.

	Cricketers play in front of a crashed aeroplane © BBC

The BBC have an in-depth report on cricket in Afghanistan where the sport's popularity continues to thrive, in spite of the lack of money available for pitches, grounds and so forth.

No wonder many boys begin playing only to discover that it is difficult to make a living from the game.

"We have lost a lot of boys because of lack of money. Still there is no let-up in enthusiasm," says Taj Malik, the coach of the national team.

Cricket is now being played in 28 of the country's 34 provinces, up from four provinces during Taleban rule. There are some 12,000 registered cricketers playing at various levels.

At this rate, cricket, say experts, is on its way to overtaking football and buzkashi - a sport in which competitors on horseback drag a dead calf over a scoreline - as the most popular sport in the country.

Read the full article.

Nepal have qualified for next year's Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia after defeating a spirited Afghanistan side by 48 runs in the final of the Asian Cricket Council Under-19 Elite Cup at the Kinrara Oval. Nepal successfully defended a modest of 172 to bowl out Afghanistan, who lost their last four wickets for three runs in 11 balls.

The tournament also served as the Asian qualifier and by virtue of winning it, Nepal joined Papua New Guinea (from the East Asia-Pacific region), Ireland (from the Europe region), Bermuda (from the Americas region), the ICC's 10 Full Members and hosts Malaysia at the 16-team World Cup to be played from February 17 to March 2, 2008.

Read the full report

Jersey will host the ICC World Cricket League Division 5 (WCL Div. 5) tournament in 2008.

The ICC’s decision follows a recent visit to the island by a development team to inspect the country’s suitability for promotion to Associate membership, which will be voted on at the ICC Annual Conference at Lord's in June.

Jersey has been an Affiliate Member of the ICC since June 2005 and as such is one of the more recent additions to the ICC’s Development Program. Selection to host this global event is recognition of the successful developments that the Jersey Cricket Board (JCB) has achieved over the past two years since gaining membership.

The largest of the Channel Islands, Jersey is located off the north coast of France and has a population of around 90,000 people. Approximately 3,500 participate in the game in Jersey. There are six grounds with turf squares on the island, which play host to a league structure made up of more than 40 teams competing across two weekend divisions, three evening league divisions and two indoor league divisions. There are also a further 47 teams that compete at junior level.

Chris Minty, JCB’s director of cricket, said: “This is tremendous, not only for Jersey cricket, but also for Jersey. We are looking forward to the challenges that this will present and will be doing all we can to ensure it is a successful tournament.”

Keith Dennis, chairman of the JCB, commented: “We feel very proud and honoured that the ICC has awarded this big tournament to Jersey and it's a tribute to the structure we have in place here and, of course, our facilities, together with support from our local government and sponsors. This has created the opportunity to be in a position to host such a tournament and we are looking forward to it.”

The WCL Divison 5 is scheduled to take place sometime in May or June of 2008, but the exact date is yet to be confirmed. Originally planned to be an eight-team event, a recent decision at the ICC Development Committee meeting earlier this month opted to expand the league to include 12 teams - Botswana, USA, Afghanistan, Norway, Nepal, Singapore, Jersey, Mozambique, Bahamas, Germany and two teams yet to qualify from the East-Asia Pacific region.

The WCL is made up of five divisions with the Europe region contributing eight teams to the overall event: Ireland, Netherlands, Scotland (Division 1), Denmark (Division 2), Italy (Division 3), Norway, Jersey and Germany (Division 5).

ICC Regional Development Manager for Europe Richard Holdsworth said: “Jersey’s excellent facilities and administration will ensure this is a memorable event for those countries participating. This will do the game of cricket a tremendous service in Jersey.”

The top two teams from the Division 5 tournament will progress to WCL Division 4 which is a six-team round-robin event to be staged in late 2008 at a venue yet to be confirmed.

Seven bowlers each from Afghanistan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Nepal and the UAE will be sent to the MRF Pace Foundation, run by Dennis Lillee, ahead of the 2007 and 2008 World Cricket League.

"It is the ACC's intention that these teams do well in the World Cricket League and the MRF camp in Chennai is to prepare the five qualifiers for World Cup qualification. An invitation was extended to the Malaysian Under-19 squad to train at MRF as they have pre-qualified for the 2008 U-19 World Cup next February and can benefit from the opportunity to train from this year," says ACC Development Manager Sultan Rana.

Afghanistan and Norway might be in the lower echelons of the World Cricket League (WCL), but that isn't stopping either country aiming big. They want to play in the 2011 World Cup.

Is this a pipe dream or a genuine belief that, in four years' time, they will be able to compete with Full Member nations? Before they can even think about the World Cup, promotion from Division Five is a must. Read the full story at Cricinfo.

What are your thoughts? Does cricket need any more fledgling nations? Should the ICC increase funding to these minor nations? Leave your feedback in the comments below.

It won't get many column inches in the mainstream cricket press, but the World Cricket League, which started in Nairobi yesterday and continues into next week, features the best of the rest, the six sides just under the ten Test-playing countries. For the two finalists, the rewards are bountiful - a place among the big boys in the inaugural Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa this September, along with $250,000. For countries used to surviving on annual handouts from the ICC of less than $200,000, that's big money.

With the exception of Bermuda, cricket is not a mainstream sport in any of the participants. And yet it survives, and in some instances thrives, despite the lack of attention and a relatively small number of enthusiasts.

The ICC, who do sterling work in supporting the game's second and third tiers, will rightly use the event to highlight that cricket is not just about the Indians and Australias of the world.

But there remains a nagging worry. The ICC boasts that the game is spreading across the world. But is that right? Is it taking root or is it surviving because more people from its hotbed - south-east Asia - are emigrating and keeping it alive for the duration of their careers?

In last year's Wisden Almanack, Matthew Engel raised this very issue. "Overwhelmingly, the game in non-traditional countries is played by expatriates, mostly South Asian. Journalists were kidded into believing that cricket was about to burst on China, on the basis of some warm comments by civil servants and a couple of coaching courses. I have seen not one shred of evidence to back this up. Are the kids playing with tapeballs on the streets of Shanghai? Are they heck!"

Take Canada. Of the squad in Nairobi at the moment, only three were born in the country, and two of those are over 35. Of the rest, five come from the Caribbean, four from India and each from Pakistan and Uganda. Whereas other Associates have a smattering of expats, Canada are utterly reliant on them.

Engel's comment attracted fierce criticism from those who either argued that England had more than their share of "imports" or that the game only spread in Asia, Africa, Australasia and the Caribbean through expats playing it in the first place.

The worry in some countries is that rather the game is not being continued by the second and third generations but is only being maintained by a steady flow of new immigrants

The worry in some countries - and again I come back to Canada - is that rather the game is not being continued by the second and third generations but is only being maintained by a steady flow of new immigrants. Canada's cricket heritage is rich but there is little sign that it has been built on. This is best underlined by the selection of former West Indies international Anderson Cummins. Forty years old and without a major match to his name since 1995-96, he made his debut in Mombasa last week. What message does that send out about the strength in depth of cricket in Canada?

It's not just Canada. Look at the USA, whose 2004 Champions Trophy side was a collection of ageing expats whose performances verged on the disgraceful. And the UAE, which is almost entirely dependant on its ex-pat workforce to keep the game alive.

Cricket's expansion should not be about filling teams with expats and expecting the locals to get excited about it. The only way cricket can gain a foothold in emerging countries is by actually getting the indigenous population to embrace the game, and two excellent examples where this is happening are Nepal and Uganda.

Anderson Cummins of Barbados, West Inbies ... and now Canada © Eddie Norfolk

Cricket is in trouble in its traditional homes in Africa - Zimbabwe are hell-bent on destruction and South Africa seems to be falling out of love with the game. So efforts should be made in Uganda . And in Asia, which everyone accepts is the game's stronghold, a side like Nepal should really be given the leg up. It's about targeting rather than a scattergun approach.

In fairness to the ICC, they have a tough time and a lot of countries scrambling for a share of the spoils. It's about weeding out the weak and really looking to grow the game in areas where it has the best chance of taking root. It's an almost impossible ask. Look at the repeated failure of American Football to crack Europe ... and if football itself still battles for acceptance outside expats and schools in the USA, then the size of the ICC's task becomes clear.

Of course expats have a key role to play in expansion. But if the game is basically played by them, is it the game spreading or is it more about diehards clinging to the traditions of their homelands? In the UK there are baseball and American football sides, but they are almost all expat Americans and so few would seriously claim the games have taken hold. However, basketball and ice hockey are widely played by locals, boosted by some imported players and expats, and, crucially, the national side can stand on its own two feet. That's the difference.

Bangladesh intends including cricket as a new event when it hosts the 11th South Asian Games in 2008. Eight nations - Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka - are expected to participate in the biennial meeting.

"We have four test playing nations among us. So we could easily include the cricket in the SA Games," Ishtiaq Ahmed, a senior official of the Bangladesh Olympic Association, told Reuters. "We understand it will be difficult for the test playing nations to send a full-strength side in the SA Games. In that case we would happily accept age-level teams," he said.

The events will be finalised at a meeting of representatives from participating nations in Dhaka next February. "As the host, we primarily underlined 15 disciplines including cricket for the meet," Ishtiaq explained.

Cricket was last included at a major international tournament in the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpar. It also featured in the Olympics once, when a side from Britain beat France in Paris in 1900.

According to CricketEurope, the ICC will expand the World Cricket League to five divisions:

The leading five European nations have already won places in the first three divisions: World Cup qualifiers Ireland, The Netherlands and Scotland in Division 1 (which will take place in Kenya in January-February next year), Denmark in Division 2 (planned for Namibia in November 2007), and Italy in Division 3 (planned to take place in the USA in summer 2007).

But with an eight-team Division 5 tournament now planned for the first half of 2008, five places in which are assigned to the next ranked country in each region, Norway are guaranteed a slot, along with Afghanistan, Argentina, Botswana and the Cook Islands.

The three remaining places will be allocated by the ICC Development Committee when it meets in December, and those allocations will be based on the rankings of the next group of countries. This means that Jersey, runners-up to Norway in this year’s European Second Division tournament, and possibly even Germany, who finished third, will be competing with The Bahamas, Panama, Nepal, Singapore, Mozambique, Zambia and Japan for those last three positions.

Read the full story at cricketeurope.net

	The Afghanistan flag prepares to be raised at Sandhurst © Andrew Miller

This was a match-up that few could have envisaged. The future leaders of the British Army, many of whom could soon be serving in Afghanistan itself as the military operation in Helmand is stepped up, versus the pioneers of a sport learned in exile in Pakistan and carried back home with enthusiasm after the fall of the Taliban regime.

It was never a close contest, but in the spirit of past tussles between the two nations, neither side gave an inch until the final run had been scored, whereupon the Last Post was sounded and the Academy's standard was lowered from the flag-pole outside the pavilion.

Read Andrew's report of the day here.

An Afghanistan side is preparing for a seven-match tour of the UK which starts on June 11 and takes in several county 2nd XIs. Taj Malik, the coach, was keen to point out that the trip was about more than PR.

"The Afghanistan team will not be a joke. Our players have completed a 15-day training camp. They are ready to compete. All the Afghans in London are very keen and are waiting for the team."

The Afghanistan Cricket Foundation was only set up in 1995 in part as an effort to persuade young men involved in the civil war raging at the time to "pick up the ball and put down the gun," said one of the founders, Allah Dad Noori.

"When I saw the situation of my country, all the suffering, I thought, 'What can I do?'. At first they were not interested in the game but slowly, slowly you catch the monkey. I have seen people leave fighting and come and play cricket."

Afghanistan will tour England, playing Essex, Glamorgan and Leicestershire 2nd XIs during their 18-day trip which kicks-off on June 11.

"This year is very important for our cricket,” Taj Malik Alam, their coach, told the BBC. "I think it will be a turning point and if we win all the matches then we can get the attention of the international cricket community. We have a long way to go but we really want to participate in the World Cup and become one of the best teams in the world."

MCC is recruiting two young cricketers from Afghanistan. Their talent was spotted when they played key roles in steering their country to its 171-run victory over the Club in the historic MCC v Afghanistan match, played in late March, in Mumbai.

Mohammed Nabi hit an undefeated century – 116 not out – against the MCC attack, while Hamid Hassan impressed MCC’s batsmen (who included Mike Gatting) with the skill, aggression and pace of his bowling. Mohammed and Hamid will join MCC in mid-season and then play for the Club in another landmark match – the first-ever MCC v. Europe match – in the Netherlands in June.

They will subsequently join the ranks of the MCC Young Cricketers at Lord’s and receive expert guidance from the Club’s coaching staff, which is headed by Clive Radley

Mumbai was the setting for some memorable scenes on Wednesday and there was another notable occasion today. Hafti Gulabid, a fast bowler from Jalalabad, claimed the prize wicket of Mike Gatting for a duck as an ">Afghanistan side won their first ever match against MCC. Gatting took it all in his stride.

"I got a decent ball. This isn't a game you just go out and play. If you don't have practice you don't do as well as you should."

Cricket in Kabul © AFP

The Pajhwok Afjhan News reports that the lack of proper playing areas, and pitches, is the main impediment for the promotion of cricket in Afghanistan. This problem is dramatically highlighted in the picture on the right (click here to see the full-size version, and here for another photo), where a group of cricket fans can be seen playing a game on a concrete wasteland, in front of a destroyed helicopter.

The newspaper continues:

This was observed by Iqbal Sikandar, official of the Asian Cricket Federation, in an interview with Pajhwok Afghan News the other day.

He said Afghanistan had a lot of talent and if certain problems faced by the players were addressed, they would be able to join the international level games in the coming 10 years.

He said his stay in Afghanistan was meant to review the situation and find areas where the Asian Cricket Federation could help in promotion of the game here.

Expressing surprise over the promotion of cricket in Afghanistan, Sikandar said he never presumed such a development. He said cricket is the most popular game in Afghanistan.

He said in order to promote the game, there must be an international standard playground. But it is a pity that there was not even a simple ground in Afghanistan, he added.

Cricket in Kabul © AFP

One day in August 2001, during an inter-provincial tournament in Kabul, the Taliban's vice and virtue police turned up at a game in their 4x4 pick-up vehicles and some other cars surrounded the ground. We had forgotten to go to prayer. All the players and spectators were dispersed. Some people were arrested, including two players. They were imprisoned for about a week and missed the rest of the matches.

On another occasion, the then president of the Afghanistan Olympic Committee, Maulawi Qalamuddin, told us that the Taliban Grand Council wanted to ban cricket, which they considered to be an American game. We managed to convince the Taliban that cricket was not American and that it was in fact very similar to thope danda.

Cricket in Afghanistan is on the up. Though the fundamentalist Taliban banned all sports during its seven-year rule, more that 300 cricket clubs have sprung up all over the country during the last three years with the return of democracy.

President Hamid Karzai is a great cricket fan and watches the game whenever he finds time. He has promised a Toyota vehicle each to the team members if they are able to beat Pakistan. But our most cherished dream is to play against India