Afghan Cricket Board CEO says Taliban loves cricket and thinks they will support the game

Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) CEO Hamid Shinwari has claimed that the Taliban, the insurgent group that has taken control of Afghanistan, loves cricket and will not interfere in the sport in the country.

After the Taliban took control of Afghanistan this past week, Shinwari has shown optimism about the development of the sport in the war-torn country.

“Taliban loves cricket. They have supported us since the beginning. They did not interfere in our activities. I don’t see any interference and expect support so that our cricket can move forward. We have got an active chairman. I remain CEO until further notice,” said the ACB CEO.

Shinwari stated that cricket flourished and grew when the Taliban was in power over 20 years ago and was pleased about the situation heading back to normalcy in the country. He also confirmed that the ACB office will function, as will the national camp.

The ACB CEO doesn’t think that the change of regime in Afghanistan will affect cricket in the country.

Former Afghanistan coach Lalchand Rajput was worried about the situation in Afghanistan, but he too believes that the Taliban will promote cricket because it is the biggest sport in the country.

“I am sure that they (Taliban) will support cricket, as it is Afghanistan’s biggest sport. It brings lots of happiness in Afghan people’s lives. I am in touch with most of the players. I spoke to them today. They were confident that cricket will not be disturbed,” said Rajput.

Rajput was the coach of the team between 2016 and 2017, which saw the gradual rise of Afghanistan in the cricketing world.

They are currently being coached by former South African all-rounder Lance Klusener, while former Australian fast bowler Shaun Tait was recently appointed as the bowling coach. Sri Lankan Avishka Gunawardene was appointed as the batting coach this past week.

Afghanistan has had great success in international cricket in recent years, especially in the T20 format. At the 2016 T20 World Cup, they breezed past the qualifying stage and defeated West Indies in the group stage of the tournament.

They have a world-class spinner in Rashid Khan, and a reliable all-rounder in Mohammad Nabi, who have both excelled in T20 tournaments around the world. Afghanistan will compete in the upcoming T20 World Cup, where they could be dark horses, thanks to their skills in T20 cricket.

They will be in Group 2 of the competition alongside India, Pakistan, New Zealand, and two teams from the qualifying stages.