“The atmosphere in Kabul was like…”
As the former director of media operations for the Afghanistan Cricket Board, Hikmat Hassan usually finds it simple to express himself. However, not this time. Not when he is speaking in the aftermath of Afghanistan’s historic World Cup victory over England.
“It was like… Eid night,” Hikmat says after a pause, persuaded that his choice of words ultimately captures the atmosphere in Kabul’s capital.
“Everybody in my locality came out of their houses and got together at the chowk. And it was the same in other localities in Kabul and in other big cities.”
However, the festivities came with a caveat. Despite the fact that music is currently prohibited in Afghanistan, a large number of people gathered and enjoyed themselves. “All we could discuss that night and the next day was cricket.”
The lack of music must be especially deafening in Khost, a city 150 kilometers south-west of Kabul that was renowned for its Pashto music culture prior to the Taliban prohibition. It is also the hometown of Mujeeb Ur Rahman, the man of the match against England. And the only music that made sense in his city on match night must have been the death murmur of stumps. Because there were a few of these when he bowled Joe Root and Chris Woakes out of the game.
“My friends and relatives in Khost also had a late night,” Hikmat continues. “Mujeeb, Gurbaz and Ibrahim come from this city,” he reminds.
In Afghanistan, ten o’clock is typically too late for a promenade, according to Hikmat, but the Pashtun- and Sunni-populated city of Khost was bustling at that hour. The videos that Hikmat shared with CricAdvisor depicted men and children on the streets conversing about cricket; depicted children navigating through huddles of men conversing about cricket.
“It has been a big moment of happiness for everyone. We have a lot of internal issues, political and economic problems, and cricket is the only thing that brings the Afghans together. Everyone is celebrating, men and women. Unfortunately, nowadays, women are banned from coming out but they are celebrating in their own way inside the houses,” Hikmat says. And the celebration at home for many involved cooking Piye Wresha, a dish similar to halwa that’s served in happy times.
Possibly only the saccharine will suffice. Perhaps music is unnecessary in Khost. At this time, no. The air is instead filled with hope and anticipation, which is something of an anomaly after the country’s challenging last few days.
Former Afghanistan commander Asghar Afghan explains. “We recently had an earthquake here in Afghanistan where nearly 3000 people died and thousands lost their homes,” he reports to CricAdvisor.
A few days ago, the nation experienced its third earthquake in a week. The quakes and aftershocks destroyed entire villages in the Zenda Jan district of western Afghanistan. More than ninety percent of those slain, according to the UN Children’s Agency, were women and children.
“The situation has been quite bad but this win brings a smile to our faces and makes us forget our sorrows for a bit,” Asghar further says. “The team should work even harder for the sake of these people. They have the potential to beat more teams, I know that.
“The more they win, the more the mood in this country will change.”
Afghanistan is unquestionably thriving in India. In front of the Virat Kohli Pavilion at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium, Mujeeb was embarrassed and overjoyed while consoling a young, weeping fan as Khost fans congregated outside on the chowks. “It’s not an Afghan boy; it’s a young Indian boy,” he clarified later on Twitter, although it wasn’t necessary. You need only consider how well-attended Afghanistan games have been to understand their popularity in India.
In his press conference in Chennai, Hashmatullah Shahidi referred to India as “home” three times. The way of life in Delhi, where Mujeeb stood and dedicated his award to the victims of the earthquake back home, is vastly different from what has become the norm in Khost, but a common thread connects the two. At ten o’clock at night, men in both cities congregate on the streets to discuss cricket. Moreover, in both locations it feels exactly like Eid.
