Afghanistan jump into big league

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Afghanistan's spirited and passionate band of cricketers wrote a new chapter in their struggle to find a place among the world's elite read Super 10 ­ as they raced to an emphatic 59-run victory over a much-established Zimbabwe team and sealed a place in the main draw of the World T20 in Nagpur on Saturday (March 12).

They celebrated with unbridled joy, their faces shining with a sense of achievement and relief. Mohammed Shehzad (40 off 23) and Mohammad Nabi (52 off 32) provided the fireworks with the bat, while leg-spinner Rashid Khan's 3 for 11 killed Zimbabwe's pursuit of a daunting 187-run target. The Indian fans may not yet be familiar with the Afghani heroes but celebrating outside the dugout, after the win, were two well-known former players, once foes on the field but now friends, battling for a common cause ­Pakistan's Inzamam-ul-Haq and India's Manoj Prabhakar.

The two coaches stood there with pride when skipper Asghar Stanikzai picked up Tendai Chatara's wicket to complete a dominating win. "When it comes to sportspersons, political tension between their countries counts for nothing. Both Inzamam and Manoj have sent out a clear message and that is to maintain unity in the team.Their intention is clear and they are on the same page," an elated Afghanistan manager Shir Agha Hamkar told Times of India after the win.

Inzamam and Prabhakar have worked together with this Afghanistan team for six months, in Dubai and Greater Noida (near Delhi). For both these coaches it was a challenge to polish the raw talent of the Afghan players, and to strike a cordial chord between themselves.

"Usee mein toh mazaa hain (The fun is in this). Pakistan played a different brand of cricket from us. Woh joojharoo cricket khelte thhe(They were gutsy and fearless). We were more conventional. To strike a common point and work together has been fun," said Prabhakar.

There was one thing in common though, between Prabhakar and Inzamam which helped them grow in their first international coaching jobs. "Both of us never played T20 cricket," the former Indian allrounder pointed out. "We were dumbstruck and amused by the kind of shots played and deliveries bowled these days. So, our starting point was the same."

This relationship-building exercise happened days ahead of the tournament. "I decided to stay with the team all the time rather than come back home when the team was in Greater Noida. I had to be one of them," Prabhakar added. The common point arrived and both decided to not impose their brand of cricket on the players.

Afghanistan failed to make the grade in 2014 World T20, crashing out in the qualifiers. But they got a boost when they qualified for 2015 World Cup. Saturday's win is a huge step towards becoming a stronger force in the world of cricket.