Afghans come to India looking for cricket sponsors and gear

The rebuilding of Afghanistan may be a slow painful process, but Afghan cricket is getting back on its feet fairly quickly. Cricket officials from Afghanistan are currently in India, looking for sponsors, coaches and gear, with the active help of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

Allah Dad Noorie, the president of the Afghanistan Cricket Federation (ACF), met Jagmohan Dalmiya, BCCI's president, over the weekend and was assured complete support in Afghan cricket's rebuiding program.

Speaking to the news agency, AFP, Noorie said: "Thanks to Dalmiya, officials from the Asian Cricket Council and the BCCI will visit Kabul later this year to study the prevailing conditions and see what more can be done. We have no funds. We have the full support of our government, but we need to raise money from sponsors to develop cricket in Afghanisan."

But was there any kind of following for the game in Afghanistan? Noorie said there was. "Cricket is already very popular in our country and will become even more popular among children if we can provide good facilities."

Noorie spoke about the importance of reviving cricket in Afghanistan. "We want to use cricket as a vehicle for peace in our country," he said, "and there is no better ally than India with whom Afghanisan has close ties."

Noorie said that he had already shortlisted three Indian companies, which have business interests in Afghanistan, and was going to approach them for funding. "I am here also to buy cricket gear, bats and dresses for the 16 teams that will take part in a tournament in Kabul in August," he said. "It is during that tournament that officials from India will visit Kabul to inspect the facilities."

The ACF was founded by Noorie and four other former cricketers in 1992 and was affiliated to the International Cricket Council in 2001. Turf wickets are available at three grounds, including one at Kabul University, and as many as 240 clubs are affiliated with the ACF.

Afghan cricketers will tour India later this year to play in the under-17 Asia Cup - they will also play some matches against junior Indian teams. They will then tour the United Arab Emirates in October, besides taking part in grade cricket in Pakistan.

Noorie mentioned that he was a big fan of Indian cricket, especially of Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar. "It's my dream to see the likes of Tendulkar play in Kabul," he said. "God willing, that day will also come."