To see Afghan cricket NSE&W ? Not in my mind when first coming to Canada When I first came to Canada on a work-related visit that lasted two months, it was almost certain that nowhere in my wildest dreams would I envisage seeing Afghanistan playing cricket in South America (Argentina), Africa (South Africa) and then North America (Canada). Each of these sightings came in 2009. Afghanistan qualified for the 2009 ICC World Cup Qualifier in South Africa as a result of a top-two placing in Argentina.
As it was the Afghan Under-19’s that was in Canada in 2009, the upcoming Intercontinental Cup 4-day and two ODI’s will be my first sighting of the senior Afghan national team in this country.
But my trio of sightings of Afghanistan does cover the global hemispheres of north, south, east and west.

The success of the Afghans is an example of making the best of an opportunity in life. The Cayman Islands were in a strong position in a Friday game in Buenos Aires, but rain forced abandonment of an already shortened game. The match was replayed on the Saturday under sunny skies, and Afghanistan made hay in the sun to qualify for the World Cup qualifier in South Africa. But they lost to Canada on Easter Sunday 2009 in Pretoria. Ian Billcliff playing a key innings.

The Afghans received strong support from the Canadian-based Afghan community during the 2009 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup qualifiers at King City. There was even a souvenir stand for Afghan items on the final day of the competition. But the young Canadians took the playing honours. Hiral Patel’s spin bowling produced 3 wickets at a cost of just 18 runs in 10 overs as Afghanistan struggled to 165 all out (40.4 overs). Ruvindu Gunasekera struck 57 not out to steer Canada to a five wicket win with around six overs to spare.

But what happy scenes there had been one week earlier when Afghanistan notched 241 for nine wickets (50 overs) then bowled out the USA juniors for 205. There was singing and dancing, but in a peaceful and sporting manner.

But, who knows what size of crowd might appear in the coming series of matches?

Truth, Dreams, Reality – a strange mix

Now, the first sporting event I saw here in 1984 was Toronto Argos v Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Canadian Football League. In recent years I paid one weekend visit and saw some cricket in Winnipeg. And my most recent Canadian sporting event was seeing Canada’s first ever win in a Rugby League international this past Sunday (July 31). Canada beat Jamaica 40 points to 10 on Sunday at Fletcher’s Field, Markham. Neither of those sides had even played an international rugby league game back in 1984.

Ah, the world of sport and dreams. Sometimes reality might be stranger than all those Fantasy games and leagues that overflow on the internet and a host of related places. But there is a marked difference in scoring 500 runs in a computer game and doing it on a blazing hot day, that might be humid, wearing cricket gear.

At least with just a day or so the the start of the 4-day game, there should be some reality in the following list of the Canadian and Afghan squads. Perhaps I may find time to check on batting and bowling styles of the players before the start of play on Tuesday? But I have been busy.

“All the world’s a stage, ” twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, if not “Eight days a week” as one pop song put it. .

SQUADS – Four Day Game

The squads for the ICC Intercontinental Cup game at the Maple Leaf Cricket Club, King City, Ontario which starts on Tuesday (August 2), cited in an August 31 media release by the ICC, are:

CANADA:
Jimmy Hansra (captain), Harvir Baidwan, Khurram Chohan, Parth Desai, Tyson Gordon, Ruvindu Gunasekera, Zahid Hussain, Usman Limbada, Henry Osinde, Hiral Patel, Junaid Siddiqui, Zeeshan Siddiqui, Zubin Surkari, Hamza Tariq

AFGHANISTAN:
Nawroz Mangal (captain), Amir Hamza Hotak, Asghar Stanikzai, Dollat Zadran, Hamid Hassan, Izzatullah Dawlatzai, Karim Khan Sadiq, Mirwais Ashraf, Mohammed Nabi, Mohammad Shahzad, Noor Ali Zadran, Samiullah Shinwari, Shabir Noori, Shapoor Zadran,
Umpires: Chris Gaffaney and Gregory Braithwaite both of the Emirates International Panel of ICC Umpires
Match referee: Adrian Griffiths

Let’s hope for some good cricket played in a sporting spirit. And some good crowds.
　
Eddie Norfolk.