Kabul: A nearly full house turned out to watch the top Afghan Cricketers playing in the trial match on Friday with the Taliban and the Afghan flag waving side by side in what is called the national authorities of the so-called national unity.
It was the first game since the Taliban sweep Aug.
15, let the sporting and cultural event organizers wondered what would now be acceptable under the hard-line Islamist government.
Both parties – the so-called defenders of peace and peace hero – featuring many members of the Afghan national team, currently preparing for the Twenty20 World Cup to be played in the UAE and Oman from 17 October.
“It’s great to be here and watch cricket,” Taliban commander named Hamza, told AFP at the stadium in Kabul, the American M-16 rifle slung over his shoulder.
He is responsible for the contingent of fighters keep guard in the crowd – some watch the game slower than the audience.
“I was a player himself,” said Hamza.
“All-rounder.” The return of the Taliban has sparked widespread fear in Afghanistan and the international community, reviving memories of their first assignment in power from 1996 to 2001, when they imposed a harsh version of Islamic law.
The regime has banned most forms of entertainment – including many sports and stadium doubled as a place of public execution.
Taliban sport allows tightly controlled, and only for him to play or watch.
Certainly no woman among the crowd of about 4,000 on Friday, but there is a lot of enthusiasm for team play two games puluh20 – the shortest version of the game-is scheduled for completion in time for the Friday prayers, the most important of the week.
Cricket is almost unknown in Afghanistan until the early 2000s, and the rise in popularity is explosively related to the conflict – the sport was picked up in Pakistan by Afghan refugees were then seeded in their home countries.
The national team has enjoyed an increase in meteor in the international arena since then, get a coveted Test status in 2017 and now ranks among the world’s top 10 sides in the format of one-day and two puluh20.
In the last 20 years, it has emerged as a powerful symbol of national unity in a country that was founded by the civil war and ethnic conflict.
On Friday, the fans waved flags of Afghanistan and the Taliban side, while “Baba Cricket” – an elderly superfan dressed head to toe in the National Curours – escorted to the main place in the holder.
Entry is free for spectators on Friday, even though everyone kept by the guards as they entered the stadium Taliban near Kabul region dominated by Pashtuns, who form the majority of Taliban fighters.
Although many Kabul residents say security has been increased in the weeks since the government fell, the Taliban are still wary after the bomb attack at the airport of an Islamic state last week that killed more than 100 people – including 13 American troops when they wrap a chaotic withdrawal.
Hamid Shinwari beaming, CEO of the Afghanistan Cricket Board, told AFP on the flag to see the match – won by advocates of peace by 62 runs – is a positive sign for the country.
“This unity,” he said, adding that talks with Taliban officials indicate a bright future for the sport.
He would not be drawn, however, on the fate of the women’s team, with media reports saying many members have left the country or hiding – afraid for their future under the new regime.
“We have a group in WhatsApp and every night we talk about our problems and share their plans about what we should do,” A member of the team told the BBC this week.
“We are all desperate.”