Hundreds of men and young boys gathered at the cricket stadium in Kabul on Thursday morning to watch the Afghanistan team play South Africa in the semi-finals of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.
It was the first time Afghanistan was competing in that stage, having progressed to the semi-finals in Trinidad and Tobago by defeating Bangladesh on Tuesday.
“I came to the stadium with my relatives and classmates around 5am. There was a very long queue in front of the stadium. It took us about an hour to get inside,” Zaid Didar, 24, a student in Kabul, told The National.
Some fans spent the night outside the stadium to ensure they would be among the first to enter.
Amid humanitarian and economic crises in the country and with increasing restrictions on various types of entertainment from the ruling Taliban, cricket has become a source of joy for many Afghans across the country.
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South Africa's Reeza Hendricks, left, embraces captain Aiden Markram after defeating Afghanistan in their T20 World Cup semi-final at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, Trinidad, on Wednesday, June 26, 2024. AP -
South Africa's David Miller with former pacer Dale Steyn after victory in their T20 World Cup semi-final. Reuters -
Afghanistan after their comprehensive nine-wicket defeat against South Africa in Trinidad. Reuters -
South Africa's Anrich Nortje after taking the wicket of Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan in Tarouba. AFP -
Spinner Tabraiz Shamsi picked up three wickets to help dismiss Afghanistan for just 56. Getty Images -
Afghanistan's Rashid Khan is bowled by South Africa's Anrich Nortje. Reuters -
South Africa's Kagiso Rabada, left, celebrates after the dismissal of Afghanistan's Ibrahim Zadran. AFP -
South Africa's Marco Jansen, left, decimated Afghanistan's top order. AP
“We were all very excited to watch our national team play in the semi-finals,” said Mr Didar. "People came in their hundreds to the stadium to watch the game on a big screen. Everyone was so happy.
"Cricket is almost the only thing that brings happiness to the nation in this situation. Moments of joy are very rare otherwise."
Dubai-based Afghan influencer Wazhma Ayoubi, 28, wrote a message to the T20 cricket team on her X account: “We are proud of you. Thank you for all that you do to bring happiness to our nation. You all are ambassadors of hope. We love you.”
Afghanistan won the toss and decided to bat first.
South Africa won the match by nine wickets and with 67 balls remaining, after bowling out Afghanistan inside 12 overs in the first inning. Despite the result, Afghan fans were full of praise for the achievements their team during the tournament.
National cricket heroes
“Not exactly the ending we hoped for in this T20 World Cup, but hats off to Afghan Atalan for an unforgettable performance throughout the event … you have made us proud,” the Afghanistan Cricket Board said in a statement.
Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan said the team might have performed better, but the conditions were against them.
"It was tough for us as a team. We might have done a little bit better than that but the conditions did not allow us to do what we wanted," he said at the post-match presentation. "That is how T20 cricket is, you need to be mentally ready for all kinds of conditions and situations. I think they bowled exceptionally well and we just couldn’t bat well."
He thanked the Afghan people for their support. “I know you all gathered in different parts of the country to watch the game, but unfortunately we weren’t able to play as expected. We tried, our journey was up to here, it was our destiny. We will continue to play even better in the future,” he said.
Bashir Ahmad, 19, a shopkeeper from the eastern city of Jalalabad, joined hundreds of fans to watch the match in the city's Mukhabirat Square. He said he was happy for the team, despite the defeat.
“Winning and losing is a part of the game,” Mr Ahmad told The National. "We are happy that our national heroes made it to the semi-finals. We hoped for another win today but maybe this was destined. We are really proud of what the team has achieved. They played well and displayed great improvement in the game.
“To start from almost nothing and reach international stages is a major success for the team and our nation. They bring happiness, joy and excitement to us among some of the saddest times.”
Abdul Qadir, 52, from Kabul, told The National he was not a fan of sport, but he started watching cricket during this year’s World Cup.
“I never missed a game," he said. "It makes me happy to watch the boys play at international grounds. They are representing us in a very positive way. They make the people in the country happy.
“We need more sportsmen in the country instead of politicians. Politicians always try to bring problems, we are fed up with more problems. We need some pleasant and delightful moments in our life. Even in losing, the boys give us happiness.”
