Mohammad Nabi has come a long way from the refugee camps of central Asia where he, along with other children displaced by war, whiled away the hours playing cricket. The 30-year-old captain of Afghanistan's national cricket team knows he will carry the expectations of supporters in his war-torn homeland on Wednesday when he leads his lineup into its first World Cup match in the 50-over format. The Afghan team goes into the match as underdogs against Bangladesh, which has only been playing among the elite nations for 15 years.
Just getting to compete on the manicured grass of Manuka Oval in the capital Canberra is an achievement against the odds for Mohammad Nabi's (in pic) team. life in the refugee camp was tough, Nabi recalled on Tuesday, adding: “You play cricket a lot in refugee camps.” “I'm very happy to represent Afghanistan in the World Cup. Hopefully I'll enjoy the whole tournament as captain.” Afghanistan's British-born coach Andy Moles said while the squad was considered a long-shot to beat the biggest teams in cricket, the Afghan players expected to do well.
Bangladesh captain Masrafe Mortaza said his team respected the Afghans as opponents, particularly after losing a low-scoring match to them at the Asian Cup in March. We “have taken them very seriously because we respect them not (as) beginners, we respect them like all teams do,” said Mortaza.