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Old March 31, 2009, 09:44 AM
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al Furqaan al Furqaan is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BANFAN
Cricket isn't at all popular in Afghanistan. The people who took refuge in Pak during the war was exposed to the game in Pak, as most of the Paki children tend to play crciket, they had very little option but to play with them and learn. That's helping them now. But mostly they are interested in sports that's more popular in Iran & Tajik or Uzbek.

Body building is extremely popula and you can find gyms every after 100 m in kabul city and it's there even in smaller cities around the country. Wrestling is very very popular as well. 'Buzkashi' is their national game from Uzbek origin. Football is fairly played by the children. You don't see them playing cricket in Afg, very rarely these days you might find some boys trying in the fields.

British military and Pak is supporting their cricket a lot. They are yet to have a cricket pitch in Afghanistan.
there were several million afghan refugees in pakistan. as oppossed to afghanistan's actual population of 30 million, the cricket fans are still in higher proportion to country's population than say places like south africa or new zealand. afghans, be they pashtu or tajik are no less athletic than south africans or new zealanders. i mean if bangladesh can make it (and we have *made* it) being as unathletic as we generally are (even more so than pakis and indians - who are pretty unathletic themselves), then the afghans have a great chance to become the number #1 associate side in 10 years time - they're still an affiliate member, which will prolly change with this WCQ tournament. plus, cricket doesn't even really require athleticism. on that skill front, it will take afghans a long while as they have no skill advantage over us (in fact, due to time and population/popularity they have a disadvantage to us). but whilst athleticsim isn't required in cricket, it certainly helps, and can carry you a surprising way. the afghans have proved by coming this far from Division 5.
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