Afghanistan proud in World Cup debut defeat against Bangladesh

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/feb/18/bangladesh-afghanistan-cricket-world-cup

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Some of them wore the perahan wa tunban, the everyday Afghan outfit, with a pakol [prayer cap] on their heads. Others favoured turbans. Some had long, flowing beards. A few of the younger ones sported mohawks and other elaborate hairstyles. They wore T-shirts and Converse sneakers. A young boy wore a Barcelona shirt with Messi’s name printed on the back as he waved the Afghan flag.

And how the flags waved. The drumbeats were relentless, and those in the vicinity were quick to break into dance. It did not matter that the scoreboard painted a bleak picture – 78 for five, when chasing 268 for victory. For many of these people, who had driven up from Sydney and Melbourne and interior New South Wales, just being there for their nation’s first World Cup match was fulfilment enough. This was their party.

In the same stand, to one side of the sightscreen, Bangladeshi fans were clapping and chanting and waving their soft-toy tigers. There was no hint of animosity. Plenty of playful banter and repartee, but a complete absence of malice.

On the field, Afghanistan were given something of a cricketing lesson. For 30 overs, they had kept Bangladesh in check, taking four wickets. But then, Shapoor Zadran, the tall left-arm quick who had run in with real purpose, was taken off. He had 2 for 20 from seven overs at that stage, and his Shoaib Akhtar hair and aggression made it easy to imagine him as one of the tournament’s cult heroes. His new-ball partner, Hamid Hassan – national colours painted on his face – had one of his less effective days, and Bangladesh took 48 in the batting power play. The experienced pair of Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan accelerated beautifully, adding 114 from just 93 deliveries.

When Afghanistan slipped to 3 for three in reply, it became apparent there would be no fairytale and they were all out for 162 inside 43 overs, losing by 105 runs here at the Manuka Oval. Not that the Afghans didn’t fight. Nawroz Mangal and Samiullah Shenwari added 62, while Mohammad Nabi and Najibullah Zadran combined for 58. But each time they got the door ajar, Bangladesh would slam it shut.

Nabi, who top scored for Afghanistan with 44 from 43 balls, embodied the distance the team has travelled. In March 2006, he and a motley crew of players were squaring off against a Mike Gatting-led MCC side at the Police Gymkhana in Mumbai. Nabi smashed 116 that afternoon, with three or four balls landing on the Western Railway tracks adjacent to the ground. A couple of years later, they were playing World Cricket League Division 5 in Jersey. Now, they are rubbing shoulders with the elite.

They don’t lack for confidence either. Before the tournament began, Mangal said that they would target Bangladesh and fancied their chances against Scotland and England. Shapoor jokingly said that he and Hamid would teach the Indians how to bowl fast, if they got some batting tips in exchange. As Andy Moles, the coach who has been in charge of Kenya, Scotland and New Zealand, said, they aren’t here to mark attendance.

What they do not have is experience. “One of the issues we’ve had in a lot of our cricket is that we do well with bat and ball for 35 overs,” said Moles after the 105-run loss. “It’s just that extra 15 overs where we need to work on our concentration levels, work on our disciplines, work on our execution. The first 30 overs or so today, we were very good. Then, it just got a little bit worse. Take nothing away from Bangladesh. They batted well, but we didn’t hit the heights that we expect of ourselves.”

Their fans, though outnumbered by the Tigers, were not too downcast. Reza, who drives a cab in Canberra, is not even a cricket fan. He does not know which teams contested the final four years ago. But when he learned that Afghanistan would be playing their first match at the Manuka Oval, he did not think twice before buying a ticket.

Mangal, when asked about the journey from the Police Gymkhana to the World Cup in less than a decade, evoked the spirit of Kapil Dev, India’s captain when they won as 66-1 outsiders in 1983. “He told us he also played on small grounds like that when he was younger. And look where he finished up.”

Afghanistan may not be ready to emulate Kapil’s Devils, but they are not going to be beset by doubts as they bid to give the old order a good shake-up.