Kabul: The almost full house turned out to watch Cricketers over Afghanistan playing in a trial match on Friday, with the flag of Taliban and Afghanistan waved side by side in what was called a national official called national unity.
It was the first match since the Taliban swept August 15, allowing organizers of sports and culture wondering what could now be accepted under the rule of hardline Islamists.
Both parties called Defenders of Peace and Peaceful Heroes featuring many members of the Afghan National Team, currently preparing the Twenty20 World Cup to be played in the UAE and Oman from October 17.
“It’s fun to be here and watch Cricket,” a Taliban.
The commander named Hamza told AFP at the Stadium in Kabul, the American M-16 rifle was slung on his shoulder.
He was responsible for the contingent of the Taliban fighters who guarded the guard among the crowds – some watching matches slower than the audience.
“I am a player himself,” Hamza said.
“All-rounder.” The return of Taliban has triggered a wider fear in Afghanistan and in the international community, reviving memories of their first task in power from 1996 to 2001, when they imposed a hard-legal version of Islam.
The regime prohibits most of the forms of entertainment including many sports and two-fold stadiums as public execution places.
Taliban sports allows controlled tightly, and only for men to play or watch.
Of course there are no women among the crowd of around 4,000 on Friday, but there is a lot of enthusiasm because the team plays Twente20 matching the shortest version of the game scheduled to finish in time for Friday prayers, the most important in a week.
Cricket was almost unknown in Afghanistan until the early 2000s, and the increase in his explosive popularity related to sports conflicts was picked up in Pakistan by Afghan refugees which were then seeded in their home countries.
The national team has enjoyed an increase in meteors in the international arena since then, obtained test status of coveted in 2017 and now ranks among the top 10 sides in the world in one day and twenty -20 format.
In the past 20 years, it has emerged as a strong symbol of national unity in a country established by civil war and ethnic conflict.
On Friday, fans waved Afghan flags and Taliban side by side, while “Baba Cricket” – a superfan head who dressed old to the end of the national colors was escorted to the main place in place.
Free entries for the audience on Friday, even though everyone was kept by the Taliban guard when they entered the stadium near Chaman Uzuri, a Kabul environment dominated by Pashtuns, which is the majority of Taliban fighters.
Although many Kabul residents said security had increased in weeks since the government fell, the Taliban was still vigilant after an Islamic state bomb attack of suicide at the airport last week which killed more than 100 people including 13 American troops when they wrapped up withdrawal.
Hamid Shinwari who was radiant, the CEO of the Afghan cricket board, told AFP the display of flags in the peace defender won by 62 Run was a positive sign for the country.
“This is unity,” he said, adding that talks with Taliban officials signify a bright future for sports.
He would not be withdrawn, however, on the fate of the women’s team, with various media reports, said many members have left the country or hid with fear of their future under the new regime.
“We have a group on WhatsApp and every night we talk about our problems and share plans about what we have to do,” A team member told the BBC this week.
“We’re all desperate.”