For years the people of Afghanistan suffered under violence, dictatorship, foreign invasion and the present repressive human rights violator in the Taliban.
But on Monday not only the people of Afghanistan went into ecstasy with something or many things to celebrate, but the world in general stood to attention as their cricket team brought more interest to the World Cup now taking place in India.
It came with Afghanistan beating the 1992 World Cup champion Pakistan with a clinical and professional performance just a few days after the team from the war ravaged and devastated country rocked the global event by dethroning the defending champion England.
The message that came out from both dramatic events was that Afghanistan and its people are sick and tired of violence and extremism and want to rub shoulders with a civilized world and stand up and be counted just like any other free nation. And Afghanistan is not being coached by any religious extremist, but by an Englishman in Jonathan Trott.
Monday night marked one big celebration in Afghanistan as passengers hung off car doors and pedestrians danced on the streets.
“We have already won the World Cup”, said one ecstatic fan unable to control his emotions suppressed by the Taliban and continues to this day with girls and women debarred from schooling and sports.
Cricket was first played in Afghanistan a hundred years ago and sport in the country took a beating in the 1980s with Russia invading the landlocked country that forced over a million people to cross the border and end up in refugee camps in Pakistan where they learnt the finer points of the game that has today brought them great joy and pride, international acceptance and recognition.
