Raees Ahmadzai coach of the Afghanistan cricket team talks about his passion for cricket
Growing up in an Afghan refugee camp in Peshawar, Pakistan, Raees Ahmadzai never expected cricket to take him so far. During his short but successful international career, the right-handed batsman captained the national side and was a part of many historic wins. After retiring in 2010, he began to coach the Afghan A team and also became a chief selector for the Afghanistan Cricket Board. Nepali Times caught up with Ahmadzai right before his team defeated Nepal in the ACC T20 finals in Kathmandu.
BIKRAM RAI
Raees Ahmadzai: It was 1992 and Pakistan had just won the World Cup. Cricket was everywhere, you couldn’t ignore it. My family lived in a refugee camp in Peshawar and we started playing among ourselves with homemade bats and balls. We looked up to Pakistani players who had just become world champions and tried to emulate them. Back then, I never thought I would go on to play at the international level and travel across the world.
Was it difficult to play cricket in Afghanistan during the Taliban years?
In some ways, cricket is a lucky game for us. Islam requires us to wear long dresses and in cricket we do just that. Cricket also allows for lunch and tea breaks so we can pray during those times. A lot of people were happy to play cricket in those days and we got quite a bit of support from the Taliban. We didn’t play on the international level back then, but there was some cricketing going on.
How different is cricket in Afghanistan today?
When I started playing, I never expected to make money. For years I played without any salary. We had to buy equipment from our own pockets and there was little support from our families. Now cricket has grown and players can actually make a living from the sport. At every tryout I go to, at least 500 children turn up with their families in tow.
How do you explain Afghanistan’s remarkable rise in the game?
Like I said, the early years were very difficult. We had very little experience and exposure so we lost a lot of matches. But our players were extremely professional: they devoted all their energy to the game and learnt quickly. Also the government has provided us tremendous support. Almost every school today has a cricket team or coaching classes. Out of 34 provinces in Afghanistan, at least 31 have official teams that play in domestic leagues and local competitions are encouraging younger players. We have good grounds in Jalalabad, Kabul, and Kandahar. When we started in 2001 we were 87th out of 122 on ICC’s ODI rankings, now we are in 14th position.
What do people back home think about their national team?
Cricket is the number one sports in Afghanistan and the people love it. A lot of radio shows broadcast live commentary and all our matches in Nepal were televised live back home. It was unfortunate that we had we had to go through 35 years of war, but things have changed in the last decade. Sports has become a way to bring together a diverse population and the next generation is keen to learn.
Your thoughts on Nepali cricket?
It was incredible to see tens of thousands of Nepali fans coming to support their home team. Like Afghanistan there seems to be a lot of local cricket going on and the players will definitely improve from this experience. However, Nepal still has a long way to go before it can start playing with top international sides. Improving current facilities and infrastructure and building better cricket grounds outside Kathmandu should be a priority for cricket authorities. We visited an academy near Tribhuvan University and were very sad to see its state. Also school-level cricket needs more attention. Our boys play regular, professional cricket day in day out. Nepali players should also do the same.
You are also a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF. What are some of your responsibilities?
Most of my time as a goodwill ambassador is devoted to raising awareness about polio, education, health, and sports. I think peace is crucial to any kind of achievement. I tell children to take care of their health and to work hard at school. It has to be health first, education next, and then only sports. I have the same advice for young Nepali boys and girls: study first, sports can come later.