Afghanistan’s love for Sharjah and Bukhatir’s gesture

By K.R. Nayar

Sharjah.  Afghanistan cricket and its cricketers have a deep attachment towards the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. 

Match winner Mujeeb Ur Rahman. Photo: ICC 

In 2010, Abdulrehman Bukhatir, who brought international cricket to Sharjah by building the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the eighties, opened the gates of this stadium free for the Afghanistan team to train. Bukhatir then said: “Bearing in mind the difficulties they have in Afghanistan, these cricketers deserve to have a place somewhere where they can come and feel that they are at home. Here they have huge local support and they can make full use of all facilities at the Sharjah stadium, including the gymnasium and nets.” Former Pakistan cricketer Kabir Khan, who was then the coach of the Afghanistan team, was so touched by Bukhatir’s gesture, had said that nobody had given them such an offer in eight years. The team went on to utilize all the facilities and soon created waves in international cricket.

Afghan fans and their demands for a six 

The turnout of Afghanistan fans to watch their team’s matches at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium has always been high. Many from Afghanistan work in the industrial areas of Sharjah, and whenever their country has played here they turn up in large numbers. Mazhar Khan, General Manager of the Sharjah Stadium, says that around 7000 Afghan fans normally turn up when their team plays. On Monday they were very happy that Afghanistan won the toss and elected to bat first. As soon as the innings started they started demanding sixers. When opener Mohammad Shahzad hit a six in the second over, they stood up and cheered. The first six from Shahzad travelled 79 meters over long-off.  His partner Hazratullah Zazai hit a bigger one when he smashed Scotland's Brad Wheal out of the stadium. Since the ball landed on the nearby street, a journalist jokingly commented: “Wheal was hit for a six and it must have gone under the wheel of a car!”

The Sharjah Cricket Stadium press box 

Journalists, be aware of sixes

The new press box at the Sharjah cricket stadium is close to the long-off boundary Unlike other centres, this is an open press box here. Journalists must make sure the sixes don’t land on them. “Avoid looking into your phones or laptop when a bowler is bowling to the batsman,” warned a fellow journalist. As this conversation was going on, Rahmanullah Gurbaz hit a massive six that disappeared into the adjacent football stadium. How do Afghanistan cricketers get this massive power to hit such mighty sixes? When someone asked if it was from their diet, he was reminded that Sharjah had some of the finest Afghani restaurants. Soon after the Soviet invasion in Afghanistan, many of the Afghanis came to the UAE and set up small restaurants here.  

 An Afghani look-alike in the Scotland team 

Scotland’s Safyaan Sharif had the looks of an Afghanistan player. This England-born Scottish cricketer has his roots in Pakistan. He had once said that his father continues to support the Pakistan team. Interestingly, he had the best bowling figures in the match taking two out of the four Afghanistan wickets that fell giving away 33 runs from his four overs. He made his T20 International debut in Dubai against Kenya in 2012. Safyaan also remained unbeaten on three as his team crashed to a 130 run defeat. It was the seventh Afghanistan-Scotland T20 match and Afghanistan has recorded a clean sweep winning all their encounters.