Sharjah: Every Afghanistan cricketer has faced immense suffering while remaining committed to the game. For star players Raees Ahmadzai and Mohammad Nabi, who were born in a refugee camp, the situation has been no different.
"I started playing cricket at the refugee camp in Peshawar," Raees Ahmadzai, speaking in fluent English, told Gulf News. "We used to make cricket balls from clothes. We had no proper bat and used to cut the wood and carve it into the shape of a cricket bat. Later, we started playing with a tennis ball," he recalled.
"I am not educated," said Ahmadzai, who is a big fan of the Pakistani cricketers. "But I speak English because I always read books on cricket and I improved on it by speaking with other players. For this I am thankful to cricket," he said.
"We didn't have television in 1992, but when Pakistan won the World Cup in Australia everyone in the school started talking about cricket. I was young and got inspired. I soon came to be known as a good tennis ball cricket player," he said.
For all his exploits with bat and ball and his improvement with the English language, Ahmadzai does not know his date of birth.
"I needed my date of birth to get a passport," he testified. "When I asked my mother for my date of birth she told me that I must have been born against the backdrop of one of the major incidents that occurred in Afghanistan. She could not recall who the president was at that time. I traced back to that incident, which took place 29 years ago, to calculate my age."
Ahmadzai returned to Kabul from Peshawar after the fall of the Taliban. "I had heard of the Afghan cricket team. In 2002, I reached my country and was sad to witness the damages of war. I went to Kabul and met Taj Malek, who is the current assistant coach. He took me for trials and selected me into the team.
"In 2004, we participated in the ACC Trophy and in my debut match against Hong Kong, in Kuala Lumpur, I hit an unbeaten 60 and took three wickets," recalled Ahmadzai.
The cricketer is currently involved in giving something back to the game. "I have set up an organisation called the Afghan Youth Sporting Organisation. It trains over 150 kids in Jalalabad and Kabul. Many national players are also helping me without remuneration," he said.
Giant leap
When asked if he had made any money out of the game, Ahmadzai said: "In our culture every single person in the family does not have to earn. We are a friendly people and help each other. My family are very proud of my achievements."
Like Ahmadzai his teammate Nabi was also born in a refugee camp. Today he plays for Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in England.
"I began by watching Pakistan players Umar Gul, Wajahatullah and Arshad Khan in action. I got to train at Khan's academy in Peshawar and went on to improve," he said.
Later, Nabi toured India to play against the MCC. "I scored 116 in 39 balls, with 13 sixes and MCC skipper Mike Gatting liked my innings so much that he picked me."
Nabi is looking forward to playing against India in the Twenty20 World Cup. "I saw them train in England and have always dreamt of playing against them one day. I am happy it will happen in April in West Indies," he said.
