ACB to hold premier league next year: Shinwari

KABUL): The Afghan cricket board (ACB) plans to host the country’s first cricket premier league next year, the board’s newly-appointed chief executive, Dr. Hamid Shinwari, said on Sunday.

In an exclusive interview with Pajhwok Afghan News, Shinwari, who replaces Nasimullah Danish, said the board’s affairs had improved a lot over the past few years.

He added a strategic and development plan previously evolved to bring the board at par with international standards was being further improved.

Shinwari, who returned from his higher studies in Australia last month, said they wanted to increase the board’s revenues by launching long-term projects to help the board stand on its own feet.

He said initiating different projects and using the Ghazni Amanullah Khan International Cricket Stadium in eastern Nangarhar province for international events could help boost the board’s income.

About the premier league, he said cricket teams from neighboring countries, Asia, Europe, Africa and America would be invited to take part in the next year’s tournament.

To a question, he said there would be no security problem because the game was equally supported by the Afghans and the rebels.

“Sports, particularly, cricket conveys the message of peace. Therefore, we can play it everywhere,” he said.

He said the premier league would be a success because the game had thousands of fans across the country, especially in Nangahar. The new ACB chief identified the development of domestic cricket as one of his top priorities.

“We want to initiate cricket not only on provincial and district levels, but on school and college level to hunt down the talent,” he said.

He said the board’s affairs were currently being run totally with foreign assistance and they wanted to develop the board’s marketing section to eventually enable the board to stand on its own feet.

He also said contacts with first class cricket nations would be enhanced in order to muster their support for Afghanistan to enter their ranks.

He said they also wanted to create a woman cricket team, but cultural restrictions and security problems remained challenging in this regard.

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