A near-full house turned out to watch Afghanistan’s top cricketers play in a trial match in Kabul on Friday, with Taliban and Afghan flags waving side by side in what sports officials called a show of national unity. The two sides — called Peace Defenders and Peace Heroes — featured many members of the Afghan national team, currently preparing for the Twenty20 World Cup to be played in UAE and Oman from October 17. “It is great to be here and watch cricket,” a Taliban commander named Hamza told AFP at the stadium in Kabul, an American M-16 rifle slung over his shoulder. On Friday, fans waved Afghan and Taliban flags side by side, while “Baba cricket” — an elderly superfan dressed head to toe in national colours — was ushered to a prime spot in the stand. A beaming Hamid Shinwari, CEO of the Afghan Cricket Board, told AFP the display of flags at the match — which Peace Defenders won by 62 runs — was a positive sign for the country.

Source: Pakistan Today September 03, 2021 12:11 UTC