By Sugeeswara Senadhira
Colombo, November 1 (Ceylon Today): The Afghanistan cricket team passed the litmus test with flying colors when they scored the highest total so far in a T20 World Cup, thus justifying the International Cricket Council’s decision to grant it recognition.
However, it remains to be seen if the sporting success, can help the Kabul Government get global political recognition. Like the cricketers who proved their mettle in the playfield, the Afghan rulers, the Taliban fundamentalists, must prove their capability in governance up to international standards.
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It was a meteoric rise for the Afghanistan national cricket team, which proved their ability and strength in skills by scoring 192 runs and winning by a record 130 runs in its first match against Scotland. The Afghan team has gone on to earn Test status and are a Cricket World Cup feature. Their performance has not only boosted the confidence of the Afghan population, they have given their nation a reason to dream.
While enforcing strict opposition to women sports, the Taliban, in a surprising move, approved Afghanistan’s participation at the T20 World Cup, raising hopes that international matches will continue as usual under the Islamist fundamentalists.
READ: Taliban supreme leader makes first public appearance in Afghanistan
During their first stint in power, before they were ousted in 2001, the Taliban banned most forms of entertainment – including many sports – and stadiums were used as public execution venues.
Recent strides made by the Afghan cricketers won the hearts of the majority of the people in the country and outside and it was reported that most hardline Islamists are also among the fans. They flock around television sets whenever the Afghan team plays abroad. Their outstanding performances have boosted the confidence of the Afghan population.
READ: ‘I feel free’ – LGBT Afghan refugees arrive in UK
Foreign recognition
Political analysts are of the opinion that the Taliban could use foreign recognition of Afghan cricketers to shore up its legitimacy at home, coaxing civil servants and everyday citizens to accept its rule. When it comes to foreign relations, the fundamentalists seem to have learned a bitter lesson that they cannot live in isolation and their reputation as a global pariah can be a grave liability. Cricket could help them establish a rapport with other countries.
The recognition it receives from the T20 World Cop in which Australia, England, New Zealand and others play as equal partners, could be capitalized to venture into other areas of interaction, if the Taliban play their cards carefully. When the Afghanistan Cricket Board Executive Director Hamid Shinwari was replaced by Naseebullah Haqqani by the Taliban, there were mounting concerns about the future of cricket in that country.
READ: ‘Just give us our money’: Taliban push to unlock Afghan billions abroad
Initially, there were concerns that the ICC’s Board of Directors would not allow the Afghan team to compete, as apart from Pakistan, where the Taliban Government has got strong support including their former skipper Shahid Afridi, other countries, especially Australia, England, New Zealand, and India would not be agreeable to competing against Afghanistan under a changed flag. As per the ICC’s membership criteria, an applicant must have “the appropriate status, structure, recognition, membership and competence to be recognized by the ICC (at its absolute discretion) as the primary governing body responsible for the administration, management and development of cricket (men’s and women’s) in its country.”
It also requires the member country to have “satisfactory women’s pathway structures in place, and a sustained and sufficient pool of players to support strong and consistent national level selection across the senior men’s, U19 and women’s teams.”
With the Taliban banning women’s cricket, Afghanistan is already in serious violation of the requisite criteria. Furthermore, the new Head of Afghan Cricket Board, Naseebullah Haqqani is a close relative of Taliban’s Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, who was reportedly involved in several attacks on US forces in Afghanistan.
However, the ICC members took a conciliatory step and decided to allow the Afghan Team to participate in the T20 World Cup considering the success story of Afghan cricket, which has changed the image of the country in the international arena. As a result, much to the delight of cricket lovers, the Afghan flag would flutter in different venues at the T20 World Cup in the UAE and Oman this month and the next.
Expressing optimism about cricket’s future in Afghanistan, Hikmat Hassan, a member of the Afghanistan Cricket Board said cricket will not suffer under the new Kabul regime.
READ: US announces $144 million in humanitarian aid for people of Afghanistan
“Taliban has never had a problem with cricket in the past.They have always interacted well with the cricketers. We had a productive meeting with the cultural and sports commission of the Islamic Emirates and they assured us that they are in favor of cricket and will support Afghanistan Cricket Board to follow its plans for the development of the game in the country,” he said.
“We have good relations with the International Cricket Council and are looking forward to participating in more bilateral series and international championships after participating in T20 World,” Hassan said.
Although recognition given to the Afghan Cricket Team will not help to get political recognition, unless Kabul Government changes its rigid policies on women participation in education and sports. Diplomats are of the opinion that full recognition for Kabul could take years or decades.
“The Communist rebels who overtook mainland China in 1949 did not win United Nations recognition until 1971,” a diplomat said. The US recognized China only in 1979. “But recognition now comes primarily through demonstrating respect for political and human rights, as well as serving the great powers’ security interests,” he said.
Trying to mediate on the issue, Pakistan proposed to the international community to develop a road map that leads to diplomatic recognition of the Afghan Taliban – with incentives if they fulfil its requirements – and then sit down face to face and talk it out with the group’s leaders.
“If they (the Taliban) live up to those expectations, they would make it easier for themselves, they will get acceptability, which is required for recognition,” Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said.
“At the same time, the international community has to realize: What’s the alternative?”
Unfortunately, politics is not cricket.
END
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