AS ENGLAND’S players begin their cricket tour of Pakistan on Monday, they might consider whether future tours should include a match in neighbouring Afghanistan.

During the 30 years of war, tens of thousands of Afghans ended up as refugees in Pakistan and learnt the game. Now that a fragile peace has returned to their native land they have gone home and taken cricket with them.

Reconstruction in Kabul has been slow. Bombed-out buildings and cratered streets are still frequent sights. Yet near the infamous Olympic Stadium, where the Taleban carried out their executions, there are 22 yards of almost-smooth cricket pitch. “Welcome to Kabul Cricket Academy,” said a beaming Shahzada Massoud, the president of the Afghan Cricket Federation and a hulk of a man with hands the size of wicket keepers’ gloves.

The cricket academy consists of only three sets of nets. Yet two young players stand out: the captain of the under-19s is Hasmatullah Rabani. He and an 18-year-old batsman and fast bowler Sanah Moheb are the Flintoff and Pietersen of Afghan cricket and have been described by Mujeb Rahamani, the founder of Afghanistan’s cricket federation, as the country ’s great hopes. “I like Flintoff. He is my favourite player. He is very strong and brave,” said Moheb who, like Rabani, learnt the game in exile.

They seem unfazed by the expectations of them and have only one thing on their mind. “We want to beat Pakistan. First because Hamid Karzai (the President of Afghanistan) has promised every player a Toyota Land Cruiser and secondly because they are our big rivals,” said Rabini.

In 1995, when Mr Rahamani set up the federation and the country was still troubled by civil war, it had just 500 registered players. Today there are 12,000. Although the national team failed to make an impact in a recent under-17s match against Hong Kong, Rabani hit 105 not out and Moheb took five wickets for 27 runs. It also beat Brunei by a world-record margin at a recent youth tournament in Nepal.

Cricket offers Afghanistan more than a mere distraction. It is helping to unify the fractured country. Rabini is a Panjshiri, the ethnic group that the Northern Alliance drew its support from, and Sanah is a Pashtun, the ethnic group of the Taleban. In a country that is still largely divided along ethnic lines their friendship represents a step forward. “The players are ambassadors of peace and unity. One of the main aims of cricket is to unify this country,” Mr Massoud said.

However, cricket in Afghanistan is not without problems. The academy was closed for much of the day when we visited because the president of the local body-building federation had been shot and killed there a few days earlier. It was also Ramadan, the month of fasting, and many players were too thirsty to play in the heat.

There have also been problems establishing players’ ages because Afghanistan has no birth certificates. “We had big problems with boys being over-age,” said Abdul Khalil, 21, the federation’s marketing manager. “We think the problem is solved now as we have found a hospital that will do tests.”

Land has been cleared for a national cricket stadium and work is scheduled to begin next year. “The English cricket team have a great team and lots of money. I would like them to help fund our stadium,” said Mr Massoud with a grin.

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