Kabul Shapes Up

  Following the success of the Etisalat Inter-Provincial one-day tournament in May this year, the Afghanistan Cricket Board will be staging an Inter-Provincial T20 tournament in September. 24 teams from 34 of the provinces that make up Afghanistan will take part. As before, the event will be televised by local broadcasters Shamshad TV, reaching out to the Middle East, the Far East, Australia and New Zealand via their satellite feed.

Ground improvements are already underway, with an extra wicket strip being laid at the National Youth Cricket Stadium along with sightscreens, a scoreboard and seating for 200 spectators along with raised banking for more fans. The wicket block is being prepared with local soil from Loghar in eastern Afghanistan which is similar to that used across the border in Pakistan.

  “The second Inter-Provincial tournament this year is a good step for Afghanistan and shows that cricket is becoming more and more settled in the country. Being on television means that cricket will become even more popular,” says the Afghanistan Cricket Board’s Domestic Development Manager Dawlat Ahmadzai.