IND v AFG 2018: This is the dream we all had for 20 years, says Nawroz Mangal

Nawroz Mangal was Afghanistan's captain when they played their first ODI, 10 years back.

Nawroz Mangal (ICC)

Nawroz Mangal has seen the whole journey of his country's cricket. He was captain of the Taj Malik coached Afghanistan which played its first ever international game in 2009. The man is now the selector and feels he could've been part of the historic occasion against India but is proud of his team to reach this far. 

In an interview with ICC, Nawroz was quoted saying, "On the one hand it’s a matter of great joy and on the other, a bit of desire, that I too could have been a part of this match! But the dream all of us had seen for around 20 years has come true. I am part of it in a way, there are other senior players too. It’s an achievement for the Afghan people and all the members of the cricket board. Of course, all cricketers want to play at the highest level. And by the grace of Allah, we have achieved it"

"Someone told me the day before yesterday that it was Eid that day, and Thursday, and Friday. When I woke up on Thursday [the first day of the Test], I felt like it was Eid. Why? Like we played T20 against India in 2010 [at the ICC World T20, the first major tournament Afghanistan qualified for], it was a unique feeling. We played an ODI against Scotland in 2009 [their first ever ODI], it was a different feeling. Then we played the World Cup [in 2015]. Every event has a different feeling. All such events have their own thrill. This is the last stage and we have reached there"

He further gave an insight into the journey that he has seen from very close quarter, when he said, "The team deserves all the praise. It’s a new, brilliant dawn. When we played the ACC Trophy in 2004, I scored 101* as the team scored 202 against Oman, but we lost. Against Nepal [in the fifth place play-offs], we lost chasing 148. I felt very disappointed. But at that time, that was our level but the people who saw us said that we had the talent and passion to move higher. I said that is the problem – we have achieved so much with so little, how do we move higher? But they saw our passion and talent and technique and said that we should work on it and you will achieve great things one day"

"Then we won the [ACC T20 Cup] trophy in 2007 in Kuwait and everyone got excited. The media got excited, the people got excited … it was like the country had won a World Cup, like India had and Pakistan had, and cricket improved as a result. There was no TV, no power … people had just heard our names – Nawroz Mangal, Karim Sadiq … so we made a place in the hearts of the people. That love motivated us even more. We felt that we were doing something for the people, for our country, it added to our passion. That’s what has helped us get here"

Nawroz is pleased for the new generation of Afghanistan cricket, for the hardships he faced as a young cricketer were immense. 

"It was a different time. We had gone to Argentina with just one pair of playing clothing for each of us! There was no money to buy things. Now we stay in five-star hotels. If you see the facilities and the grounds in Afghanistan now, it’s all different. I tell the kids that they are really very fortunate. They can play in their country, and the facilities are so good"

"They get daily allowances, match fees, kit, bats, pads, clothes … I had one bat, I had bought it for around 1000 Afghanis. The whole team used that bat! Now everyone has a bat sponsor too. Those days, the team survived five-six months on 600-700 dollars. Now each bat comes for that match. That’s the improvement we have seen, and it’s still getting better. We have the passion and the talent, and we are benefitting"

Nawroz wants to see cricket played in Afghanistan and talked about how it can further help the game to improve in his nation, by concluding, "The main hope is that we can play home series in our country like we have been playing in India or the UAE. That will really boost cricket in Afghanistan. Hopefully, that will happen one day too. That aside, I hope there is love and peace. And that the players spread the message of peace, that they convince the people who are angry to come forward and work towards the benefit of everyone"

(Inputs from ICC)

 
 

By Kashish Chadha - 16 Jun, 2018

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