After his historic victory against the Australians, Rashid sends a message to his country: “Roll up your sleeves… celebrate, dance” | Cricket News

Nazamudin Asar, a PhD student at Delhi University, born in Kandahar and a cricket fan, after sharing his excitement about his team’s chances of qualifying for the semi-final in a group consisting of India and Australia, translated the verse. “Roll up your sleeves, come celebrate and dance. Poor people like us rarely have the opportunity to enjoy it, because happiness belongs to those who are strong and rich…’ That’s what they sang, that’s exactly how Afghanistan feels today” , said Asar, before adding a touch of typically Afghan self-deprecation. “Everyone is in the street. The last time this happened was during an earthquake.

In the Afghan city of Khost, there is a man who could have been at Arnos Vale Stadium, but was not selected. The team’s assistant coach, Raees Ahmadzai, was unable to travel with the team due to knee surgery. He says he lost his voice, he was with thousands of other people in the streets chanting “Afghanistan Zindabad”.

“A few days ago we celebrated Eid, and we feel like we are celebrating it again after this victory. It’s something very special for many reasons,” Ahmadzai told The Indian Express. “Beating Australia is very special for this nation. They refused to play the series against us. They were very lucky to do well in the ODI World Cup. We expected this result.

The two nations have a history. Australia refused to play a bilateral series against Afghanistan after the Taliban took power in 2021. It took a stand against the regime which did not allow women to play sport. The tense 50-over World Cup match between Afghanistan and Australia in India last year added fuel to the fire.

Ahmadzai remembers the evening in Mumbai when Australia were on the brink of defeat but miraculously recovered. Glenn Maxwell broke Afghan hearts with his unbeaten 201. He chased down 292 off 91/7. In this T20 World Cup too, Maxwell looked ready for a repeat. He scored 59 off 41 balls and the target of 149 seemed well within striking distance. It was not possible, he would become one of Gulbadin’s four scalps. The part-time all-rounder with a bodybuilder’s physique is said to outshine the Australian in terms of muscle and vixen thanks to his strength and intelligence.

After the match, captain Rashid showed subtlety in mentioning the boycott of Australia and the political complexities associated with it. “Cricket is the only reason why Afghanistan celebrates. And if we also keep this source away from us, I don’t know what will be left… I don’t know what the solution is… I don’t know much about politics and I don’t even like it. If we play (Australia) in a World Cup, why don’t we play in a bilateral series?

Back in Kosht, Ahmadzai shares the emotional conversation he had with his players and inspirational head coach and former England international Jonathan Trott after the memorable victory. “They were all happy that the boys didn’t panic when he started to cross the line. We were calm, we never panicked,” he says.

Ahmadzai jokes about Gulbadin’s special celebration of flexing his muscles after getting wickets. “I told him repeatedly to stop flexing his muscles. You are not bowling at 150 km/h, you are a 120 km/h bowler. He will always say “Sir, I will do something special for my team soon, but please don’t stop me from flexing my muscles”. Today, he has indeed earned this right,” says Ahmadzai.

Gulbadin also plays for IPL team Delhi Capitals where he is coached by former India player Praveen Amre. Like most Afghans, Gulbadin too has a never-ending urge to learn and make the most of the training received in IPL. “He joined at the end of the IPL and during that period you don’t usually have many training sessions, but whatever we had, he never missed one. There was a hunger to improve. What I liked most about him was his self-confidence,” says Amre.

Afghanistan’s first cricket ground in Kabul. (Special arrangement)

Naveen-ul-Haq (3/20) was another star of the match for Afghanistan. Apart from his intelligent bowling variations, he is famous in India for his clashes with Virat Kohli during the IPL. “I call him Mr. Cleaver. He’s a very proud Afghan, a tough guy. He is fiery on the field and never backs down from the fight,” explains Ahmadzai. Naveen didn’t, it was he who set the tone for Afghanistan by cleaning up the dangerous Travis Head with the third ball of the match.

Ahead of the tournament, West Indian great Brian Lara and former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif were among the few cricketers who chose Afghanistan as one of the semi-finalists. Latif was appointed as the first head coach of the Afghanistan team in 2010. He shares an anecdote about his first visit to a cricket field.

“It was the first day and when I reached the ground there was an American helicopter, a Sikorsky and a plane sitting next to the cricket ground, where the Afghan cricketers were training. Later in the evening, it became our dressing room,” says Latif.

Afghan cricket has come a long way since the days of that crumbling dressing room. But there is something they have retained from the days of war and strife. Ahmadzai says not giving up is part of the Afghan DNA, instilled in the team led by Rashid Khan. “We are clans of warriors, we always want to win. I saw players come to training after burying their loved ones. We have never had it easy. Earlier our country was known for war, now they talk about our cricket, Rashid Khan, Gurbaz, Gulbadin, Naveen, Nabi,” he says.