KANDAHAR - Kandahar’s rise in cricket continues as the team beat out players from 21 other provinces to win the national championships in Nangarhar for a second year in a row.

Each team played two-day matches against three opposing teams. Representing the Bost zone, Kandahar secured two wins and drew the third to secure the tournament’s first place position.

The captain of the Bost team, Qayamudin, and batsman Hafizullah were declared the stars of the tournament. Qayamudin picked up 18 wickets. Hafizullah passed a century, scoring 130 runs.

Hundreds of Kandaharis beat traditional drums and danced the Attan at Kandahar airport on 9 January to warmly welcome the victorious players.

“We are stunned by the achievement of our cricket team. It is really a great performance by the Kandahar cricket team which earned success in three major tournaments countrywide,” said Wali Amin, the head of Kandahar Cricket Federation.

The national championships are held in part to choose the best players for the National Cricket Team which represents Afghanistan in international competitions.

Despite Kandahar’s success, Amin said the players have been overlooked by the Afghanistan Cricket Board, and could perform even better if local authorities provide better resources.

A request echoed by Qayamudin, who said that the team could bring “more success to Kandahar if the local authorities provide us with cricket stadium and other facilities.”

Cricket increased in popularity in the country after the Afghanistan National team qualified for the 2010 International Cricket Council (ICC) World Twenty20, the team’s first major tournament, and secured One Day International (ODI) standing until 2013.

“The popularity of cricket makes it an ideal driving force for the United Nations in their work of improving the lives of people around the world,” said Wilfried Lemke, Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General on Sport for Development and Peace.

“In Afghanistan and elsewhere, many partnerships have been forged between UN agencies and cricket clubs and federations, resulting in successful outreach campaigns and assistance programmes” he added.

The recent victory by Kandahar cricket team is a message of peace and tranquillity and creates a glimpse of hope for the inhabitants of war-torn province.

“Sport has the power to bring people together and to unite them. It often transcends nationality, ethnicity, gender, class and ideology, and can therefore be a channel for peace and a bearer of hope in war-torn countries and communities,” Lemke said.

Read more about cricket in the latest Afghan Update. Click here to download Afghan Update Sports Edition January 2011 in English, Dari and Pashto.

Follow the Kandahar team from its provincial win in 2010. Click here for UNAMA’s photo story.

By Mujeeb Rahman, UNAMA