ICC Cricket World Cup dream still alive for Afghanistan

Next stop Division 4 after victory in Jersey; host side is also promoted as coach Kirsten hails event as great success; SNTV to issue further video news release

Afghanistan has not always had a lot to cheer about in recent years. The war-torn country’s troubles have been well documented and to this day there is considerable political unrest from Kabul to Kandahar and further afield.

So it comes as a relief that, even for a short time, Afghanistan is making the headlines for altogether more agreeable reasons. The national cricket team is on the rise and by winning the final of the ICC World Cricket League Division 5 (WCL Div. 5) in Jersey on Saturday it has taken one step closer to qualification for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.

Coming from a hot, dry climate to play cricket in the much more green and, at times, soggy conditions of the Channel Islands was not easy for coach Taj Malik and his men. But they learned to adapt and managed to overcome host team Jersey in a thrilling, low-scoring final.

Having lost the toss and been asked to field first at Grainville, Hasti Gul Abed (3-17) and Hamid Hasan (4-27) made short work of the Jersey batting line-up as the home side crumbled for just 80.

But then, just when it looked like it was going to be a limp, one-sided affair, the Jersey bowlers made sure the local crowd’s interest would be held right up to the end. Afghanistan stuttered to 28-4 and then 42-7 and 62-8 as all-rounders Ryan Driver (4-26) and Tony Carlyon (2-13) caused havoc.

But an unbeaten 29 from number nine batsman Hasti, including two fours and two sixes, saw the Afghans home with just two wickets to spare.

Consolation for Jersey is that although it was beaten in the final, it still qualifies along with Afghanistan for the ICC World Cricket League Division 4 event, which will take place in Dar-es-Salaam from 4 to 11 October.

In turn, the top two teams from that tournament will progress to WCL Div. 3 in Argentina next January and then the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2009 in the UAE, which incorporates Divisions 1 and 2.

At the end of that tournament, the top four Associate or Affiliate teams in the world will be booking their places at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 to be staged in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Those four will join the 10 Full Members to decide the top one-day side in the world.

“I am so happy,” said Afghanistan Taj Malik.

“Afghanistan has won the tournament and it feels great to be the champion. It was a real pressure game, it was the final so there is always pressure. We were waiting and wanting to hold the trophy so there was a lot of pressure on us.

“The bowlers did a superb job and bowled extremely well. We lost wickets frequently and the pressure built on us. But finally we got home. I’m so happy,” he said.

For Jersey there was the feeling of what might have been. Having won the toss, it might have been better served by fielding first but coach Peter Kirsten was generous in defeat.

“Obviously, we wanted to score more runs than that when we decided to bat first,” said the former South Africa Test batsman.

“We did well batting first against the USA in the semi-final so why change the plan? We didn’t expect so much swing or movement off the wicket and I thought the Afghan bowlers did magnificently well. I can understand why they have won so many games now,” said Kirsten.

“We wanted at least 120 and we didn’t get it. But the way we fought back was brilliant. That is the character of the team, that is how they have played all week and we nearly stole it at the end. It was an exciting finish.

“We would have loved to have won the tournament but we are more than happy to have qualified for Division 4 in Tanzania. Jersey cricket is on the way forward and all credit to the ICC for affording teams like Jersey the opportunity to go further. I think it has been a brilliant tournament.

“It was great to see the Jersey people come out and support their team and the game. The spectators’ response to Afghanistan winning was fantastic and in a way, everybody won today.”

One of the great features of this tournament has been the official event website www.iccworldcricketleague.com, which proved to be enormously popular around the globe. The site, which was run in conjunction with CricketEurope and Jersey Cricket, attracted more than one million page impressions during the week of the tournament and was a crucial aspect of the event’s coverage.

CricketEurope chief executive John Elder said: “Both quantitatively and qualitatively, the reaction has been overwhelming. There has obviously been great global interest in the competition and readers all over the world have been linking to the site to find out what has been happening, to check scorecards and to look at the photo galleries.

“Within minutes of our starting live coverage of the game between Nepal and Mozambique, we received an email from a reader in Nepal, saying that he had been waiting for 10 years for live commentary on a match involving his country’s side.

“It was therefore particularly gratifying that the Nepalese bowler Mahaboob Alam took all 10 Mozambique wickets in that match, setting a new world record for international one-day cricket.”

In the other games of the day, Nepal beat the USA to clinch third spot while in the other play-off matches, Singapore beat Botswana, Germany got the better of Mozambique, Norway overcame Japan and the Bahamas was too good for Vanuatu.

Final Standings

Afghanistan
Jersey

Nepal
USA
Singapore
Botswana
Germany
Mozambique
Norway
Japan
Bahamas
Vanuatu

(Afghanistan and Jersey qualify for the ICC World Cricket League Division 4 event in Tanzania from 4 to 11 October.)