Khurram Khan What does it mean to you to be playing in this World Cup? For an Associate nation the World Cup is the biggest thing that can happen to you. With the World Twenty20, you always know that it’s around the corner and there are 16 teams in the tournament so you have a very good chance of qualifying. But it’s so tough to get to the World Cup. We were always missing out on qualification by one or two points. So this will mean a lot to me. Were you surprised that Mohammad Tauqir was chosen to replace you as captain in January? I was shocked. The selectors told me they didn’t know that, when it comes to international tournaments, if there is an Emirati who is in the team then he has to also lead the team. I said well, if it is the law of the country then I can’t do anything about it. It hurts because this is what you play for – to captain your side at the World Cup.
For us it’s strange to play cricket during daytime Could you understand the reasons for the change? I had only one issue with the decision, which I told the chief selector. There are some players who have been playing for a very long time but they don’t bother to come to practice with the UAE national team. Then suddenly they see a major big tournament coming and want to be part of the team. There has to be the same rules for everyone. Come to practice, prove your fitness, get into the team. We qualified for the World Cup without Mohammad Tauqir. After that he showed his interest and he was at least coming to all the practice sessions. The UAE team has been criticised for being a team of expatriates from the subcontinent. What do the players think of that? I think it’s a little unfair to call us expatriates. I’ve been living here for 18 years. My kids live here, they go to school here. The UAE is my home away from home. If it was any other country I would have had a passport and been called a national a long time ago. But I accept these are the rules of the country. The problem is that
Kabir Khan What were the biggest changes in Afghan cricket during your tenure? When I began, the northern areas of Afghanistan around the Russian border used to hate cricket but now it is a game of the whole country – not just for Pashtuns right on the border of Pakistan. The game has brought the nation together. People of every culture and language are playing it. I can only think of South Africa, and the way rugby brought the nation together, as a comparison. The grounds and infrastructure in Afghanistan are now very good. There are eight or nine grounds with turf pitches and one National Cricket Academy in Kabul. They’ve got their own domestic cricket up and running, which is lovely to see. And they’ve introduced cricket as part of the school curriculum. What has the support been like in Afghanistan? Even after winning the first two ICC World Cricket League trophies, the players were already treated by the Afghan people as stars and the president was inviting them to dinners. I would say 75% of the people did not know what we had achieved, what it was all about, but it was enough to know they were the champion of something. When we beat the USA everyone in Afghanistan reacted as if we were the world champions of cricket. People came out onto the streets. They didn’t know how bad the USA are at cricket! The supporters who travelled to watch us used to clap and dance when our batsmen were getting out. They had no idea whether we were losing or winning, they were just too busy celebrating. The 2019 World Cup will feature ten teams, rather than 14, although Associate nations will be able to qualify. How important is that? It makes me sad to think why the big cricket nations would be against it. In the football World Cup, even the winners have to qualify for the next tournament. If the ICC want to globalise this game, why not give equal opportunity to each and every one? Teams like Afghanistan, Ireland, Scotland and other teams are improving day by day and should be given a chance. Should international teams tour Afghanistan? I think that it would be quite possible now for an international team to play in Afghanistan. They have had domestic tournaments with crowds of 15-20,000 and they have done it safely. I don’t think we’re too far away from it because security is much better now. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the team? The fast bowling is very good – Hamid Hassan, Shapoor Zadran and Dawlat Zadran. If Afghanistan win games it will be because of their bowling. The batting was a problem at times. We struggled against left-arm spinners continued overleaf WisdenEXTRA • World Cup Special
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