came out to see the almost full house AfghanistanTop cricketers play in a trial match on Friday in which Taliban and Afghan flags are waved side by side in what sports officials have called a show of national unity.
It was the first match since the Taliban came to power on 15 August, leaving organizers of sporting and cultural events wondering what is now acceptable under the regime of radical Islamists.
Both sides – called Peace Defenders and Peace Heroes – featured several members of the Afghan national team, currently preparing for the Twenty20 World Cup to be played in the UAE and Oman from 17 October.
“It’s great to be here and watch cricket,” a Taliban commander named Hamza told AFP at the stadium in Kabul.
He was in charge of a contingent of Taliban fighters among the crowd – some watching the game more carefully than the spectators.
“I am a player myself. An all-rounder,” Hamza said.
The Taliban’s withdrawal has caused widespread fear in Afghanistan and the international community, reviving memories of their first term in power from 1996 to 2001, when they enacted a harsher version of Islamic law.
That regime banned most forms of entertainment – including many sports – and allowed stadiums to double as public execution sites.
The games the Taliban allowed were strictly controlled, and only for men to play or watch.
There were certainly no women in the crowd of about 4,000 on Friday, but there was much excitement as the teams played a Twenty20 match – the shortest version of the game – about to end in time for Friday prayer, which was the week was most important. .
Cricket was barely known in Afghanistan until the early 2000s, and its explosive growth in popularity is linked to conflict – the sport was raised in Pakistan by Afghan refugees who sowed it in their home country.
The national team has since enjoyed a meteoric rise on the international scene, achieving coveted Test status in 2017 and now ranks among the top 10 sides in the world in the One Day and Twenty20 formats.
Over the past 20 years it has emerged as a powerful symbol of national unity in a country stricken by civil war and ethnic conflict.
On Friday, fans waved Afghan and Taliban flags together, while “Baba Cricket” – an elderly superfan dressed from head to toe in the national colors – ushered in a prominent position in the stands.
Entry was free for spectators on Friday, although everyone was patted down by Taliban guards as they entered the stadium near Chaman Uzuri – a Kabul neighborhood dominated by Pashtuns, who make up the majority of Taliban fighters.
Although many Kabul residents say security has improved in the weeks since the fall of the government, the Taliban remain vigilant after an Islamic State suicide bombing attack on the airport last week that killed more than 100 people – including 13 American soldiers were also involved, as they wrapped one. chaotic return.
Afghan Cricket Board CEO Hamid Shinwari told AFP with a smile that the flag display in the match – which the Peace Defenders won by 62 runs – was a positive sign for the country.
“It is unity,” he said, adding that talks with Taliban officials indicated a bright future for the sport.
However, he would not be drawn on the fate of the women’s team, with various media reports stating that many members had already fled the country or were in hiding – fearful for their future under the new regime.
“We have a group on WhatsApp and every night we are talking about our problems and sharing plans for what we should do,” a team member told the BBC this week.
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