Gulbudeen Naib leads the charge against Bahamas May 26, 2008

Eighteen-year-old Gulbudeen Naib was the hero for Afghanistan as he took 5 for 7, including a hat-trick to close the innings, as Bahamas managed just 46 all out. And although they too suffered a batting collapse, Afghanistan secured victory by five wickets after 6.3 overs as they attempted to score quick runs to improve their run-rate, with Mario Ford claiming 3 for 5.

“I was very happy to receive my Man-of-the-Match award for Afghanistan and I would like to pay tribute to my captain, team and coach who have helped me achieve this,” said Naib. “It was the first ever hat-trick for Afghanistan so I am very happy,” he added. “I am sure my friends and family back at home will be very proud.”

Afghanistan secure victory in there first match May 24, 2008

At the Victoria College, Afghanistan suffered a sensational middle-order collapse against Japan when they were bowled out for 179 in 35.4 overs after being 137 for 3. Takuro Hagihara was the pick of Japan bowlers with 5 for 25 while for Afghanistan opener Karim Khan Sedeq top scored with 47. In turn, Japan were bowled out for 80 in 40.2 overs with Hasti Gul Abed bagging 3 for 22.

Taj Malik, Afghanistan’s coach, was pleased with his side’s performance and said he never thought his team was in trouble despite posting a small total. “We discussed with the players during the innings break that the pitch was assisting the fast bowlers and if Japan could get us for 180 runs then we should be able to bowl them out for less than 100 runs.”

An exclusive interview with Taj Malik- Afghan Cricket May 22, 2008

Afghanistan cricket (c) Getty Images

From Kabul to Quennevais

By Daniel Corden

The Afghanistan team will be one of 12 taking part in the ICC World Division 5 tournament in Jersey.

Friday, 23 May sees the start of the ICC World Cricket Division 5 tournament here in Jersey.

There are 12 teams competing for a place in the next rounds, and then hopefully the World Cup.

While we may worry about rain delays, or the odd stray cow running onto the field, one of the countries that is coming to play is war ravaged Afghanistan.

For some of their team it will be the first time they have left Afghanistan, or even seen the sea.

Cricket is a fast growing sport in Afghanistan, with over 12,000 players, but unfortunately Afghanistan is more known for the War on Terror and bombs.

Taj Malik is the Afghanistan national team coach and BBC Jersey’s Daniel Corden spoke to him over a rather noisy international mobile.

You can read the interview in full below:

BBC: Are the players very excited about coming to Jersey?

Taj: We are very keen to come there.

BBC: The people of Jersey only see what’s on television, the war and things like that. Is that what it’s like in Kabul at the moment?

Taj: In Kabul at the moment there is no problem. We are practising.

BBC: It was only in the 1980s when the Russians left that cricket became big in Afghanistan.

Taj: When the Russians came to Afghanistan many thousands and millions of people moved to Pakistan and other parts of the world and got interested in the game and playing also.

Now the number of players increased during the past five or six years and we’ve established our national cricket team which is a very good rising star team.

I’m sure when we’re playing the Jersey tournament the people of Jersey will like their playing style and cricketing skill.

BBC: Do the team know they’re ranked favourites in the competition?

Taj: Yeah the team know that. The team have been on very good form over the last four months after the Twenty20 Asian cricket tournament.

They’re in full confidence and very keen to get first position in Jersey.

There are strong opposition over there like Nepal, America and Norway looks like a good side.

This is a very good opportunity for my players to show their cricket standards and their ability in this ICT tournament.

BBC: You mentioned America. What do the players think of the possibility of playing the USA team?

Taj: They’re very excited. America is a very popular country in the world, a superpower.

To be able to beat them would be very exciting for everybody because America is an economic power with lots of sports facility and in the Olympic games they’re on top.

This is a very good chance and in cricket we could beat them. Our pleasure if we win the match, I’m sure many people here would be keen to see the Afghanistan team beat America on the international stage.

BBC: How important is cricket in Afghanistan?

Taj: Four months ago we won the Twenty20 cup in Kuwait and that was a major achievement in Afghanistan history.

Now they’re really looking forward and are all behind the team. There’s a lot of media interest as well and everybody is supporting Afghanistan to see Afghanistan become champions once again.

BBC: In Jersey we have six different fields we’ll be playing on with lush green grass. I’m sure that’s very different to the grounds you play on in Afghanistan.

Taj: I hope so yeah. My fast bowlers are very keen to bowl there. I have a very balanced team of fast bowling attack and leg-breaking left bowlers.

Everything is looking very nice for us and we are very keen to come to Jersey.

Pakistan Afghan ambassador freed May 17, 2008

Pakistan’s envoy to Afghanistan Tariq Azizuddin is freed.

Pro-Taliban militants have released Pakistan’s envoy to Afghanistan 3 months after he was kidnapped in Pakistan’s Khyber tribal region.

cc disappeared Feb 11 along with his driver and bodyguard as they drove from the Pakistani city of Peshawar toward the Afghan border.

On a video aired April 19 on an Arab satellite channel, Azizuddin said Taliban militants had kidnapped them and urged the Pakistani government to meet their demands.

In his video, Azizuddin did not say what demands the Taliban were making, but Pakistani media reports had reported they had called for the release of several jailed militants.

Pakistan’s long tribal belt on the Afghan border is notorious for being a haven for smugglers and bandits and has turned into a major sanctuary for al Qaeda and the Taliban militants who fled from Afghanistan after the US-led invasion in 2001.

Afghan Taliban say attack Dutch over anti-Islam film April 2, 2008

LONDON, April 1 (Reuters) – The Taliban has said two attacks on Dutch forces in Afghanistan were in retaliation for an anti-Islamic film by a Dutch politician, the SITE Intelligence Group said on Tuesday.

In a communique posted on Web sites used by militants dated April 1, the Taliban said its Shura Council Leadership announced reprisal operations against Dutch forces because “one of the members of the Dutch parliament produced a film that hurts Islam, and he published it with bad intentions”.

Dutch MP Geert Wilders, leader of the anti-immigration Freedom Party, launched the anti-Koran film “Fitna” — an Arabic term that can mean “strife” — last Thursday on the Internet.

The film urges Muslims to tear out “hate-filled” verses from the Koran, and starts and ends with a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammad with a bomb under his turban, accompanied by the sound of ticking.

It was condemned by Muslim nations as a provocation, while Dutch Muslim leaders urged restraint. The Dutch government has said the film in no way reflects its own views.

Before its launch NATO expressed concern it could worsen security for foreign forces in Afghanistan, including 1,650 Dutch troops.

The Taliban statement referred to two revenge attacks on Sunday which it said killed a large number of “occupier soldiers”.

The Dutch Defence Ministry said in a Web statement dated April 1 that five Dutch soldiers from NATO-led forces were wounded in two separate incidents on Sunday.

One soldier lost both his legs in the explosion and his condition was critical but stable, the ministry said.

The Dutch ministry said no Dutch soldiers have died in attacks in the past week. (Reporting by Gilbert Krieger in Amsterdam, writing by Mary Gabriel; editing by Myra MacDonald)

Pakistan State TV: Missiles Kill 20 March 16, 2008

MIRAN SHAH, Pakistan (AP) — At least 20 people were killed in a missile strike near the Afghan border on Sunday, state-run Pakistan Television said.

The strike destroyed the house of a suspected militant leader, according to a local tribesman.

Seven missiles were fired in the strike in the tribal area of South Waziristan, the television report said.

The report did not indicate where the missiles came from, but U.S.-led coalition forces based in neighboring Afghanistan have launched attacks inside the Pakistani border in the past.

Pakistan has been battling Islamic militants linked to al-Qaida and the Taliban in its regions bordering Afghanistan. The U.S. considers the country’s effort vital to the war on terrorism.

The missiles were fired by an unmanned drone, local tribesman, Rahim Khan, told The Associated Press.

At least two hit and destroyed the home of a local militant leader and Taliban sympathizer who goes by the single name Noorullah, Khan said.

India seeks link to C. Asia via Pakistan March 16, 2008

CHANDIGARH, March 15: Advocating close cooperation between India and Central Asia, Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee has called for establishing a direct surface transportation route through Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq.

“Our ongoing Composite Dialogue with Pakistan has been yielding good results. We are hopeful that a direct road link will be established between India and Central Asian nations,” he said in his inaugural address at a seminar on Saturday.

The minister termed the absence of direct surface link as a major problem in the development of economic and trade relations between India and the Central Asia and said the recent steps taken by Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Russia to increase road and rail connectivity could be linked to further development of the International North South Transport Corridor.—PPI