‘It is a new, brilliant dawn’ – Nawroz Mangal

Nawroz Mangal is a legend of Afghanistan cricket. He was at the helm at several of their landmark wins as they hared up the ranks from refugee camps to become a formidable force in world cricket.

He played in their first match at the international level, he led them to one-day international status and World Cup qualification, before bowing out on a high in 2017, the team giving him a farewell with victory in the Desert T20.

Now the chief selector, he laughingly admits to feeling just a twinge of envy at seeing the players receive very special Test caps, but is proud at how far the team has come. On the sidelines of Afghanistan’s historic maiden Test in Bengaluru, he spoke to the ICC about the team’s journey, the celebrations back home and his hopes for the future. Excerpts:

**What were your feelings seeing Afghanistan play their first day of Test cricket?**On the one hand it’s a matter of great joy and on the other, a bit of desire, that I too could have been a part of this match!

But the dream all of us had seen for around 20 years has come true. I am part of it in a way, there are other senior players too. It’s an achievement for the Afghan people and all the members of the cricket board. Of course, all cricketers want to play at the highest level. And by the grace of Allah we have achieved it.

Someone told me the day before yesterday that it was Eid that day, and Thursday, and Friday. When I woke up on Thursday [the first day of the Test], I felt like it was Eid. Why? Like we played T20 against India in 2010 [at the ICC World T20, the first major tournament Afghanistan qualified for], it was a unique feeling. We played an ODI against Scotland in 2009 [their first ever ODI], it was a different feeling. Then we played the World Cup [in 2015]. Every event has a different feeling. All such events have their own thrill. This is the last stage and we have reached there.

**How has the journey been?**The team deserves all the praise. It’s a new, brilliant dawn.

When we played the ACC Trophy in 2004, I scored 101* as the team scored 202 against Oman, but we lost. Against Nepal [in the fifth place play-offs], we lost chasing 148. I felt very disappointed. But at that time, that was our level.

But the people who saw us said that we had the talent and passion to move higher. I said that is the problem – we have achieved so much with so little, how do we move higher? But they saw our passion and talent and technique and said that we should work on it and you will achieve great things one day.

Then we won the [ACC T20 Cup] trophy in 2007 in Kuwait and everyone got excited. The media got excited, the people got excited … it was like the country had won a World Cup, like India had and Pakistan had, and cricket improved as a result.

There was no TV, no power … people had just heard our names – Nawroz Mangal, Karim Sadiq … so we made a place in the hearts of the people. That love motivated us even more. We felt that we were doing something for the people, for our country, it added to our passion. That’s what has helped us get here.

**The youngsters in the team, have you told them about the tough times your generation faced to play cricket?**Absolutely. It was a different time. We had gone to Argentina with just one pair of playing clothing for each of us! There was no money to buy things. Now we stay in five-star hotels. If you see the facilities and the grounds in Afghanistan now, it’s all different. I tell the kids that they are really very fortunate. They can play in their country, and the facilities are so good.

They get daily allowances, match fees, kit, bats, pads, clothes … I had one bat, I had bought it for around 1000 Afghanis. The whole team used that bat! Now everyone has a bat sponsor too. Those days, the team survived five-six months on 600-700 dollars. Now each bat comes for that match. That’s the improvement we have seen, and it’s still getting better.

We have the passion and the talent, and we are benefitting.

**How has the response been to this match from back home?**The support has been great. Politicians have supported us a lot, the board has supported us, our families … people who sponsor our children to join academies and train. It’s a very big deal that we have achieved this and are playing India.

When we started out, people would ask us to train to be something else – ‘Do some business, what is this you’re doing? There is no future in this.’ Now, by the grace of Allah, this has changed a lot. And good players are coming up, like Rashid, Nabi, Mujeeb … they are playing IPL. There are more players in Afghanistan. Fathers want their sons to be the next Nabi or Mujeeb or Karim Sadiq or Rashid. It’s a positive sign. Now the Test – people ate not saying ‘Eid Mubarak’, they are saying we will say Mubarak tomorrow, we are watching the match right now!

What is your one wish for Afghanistan cricket so that it may grow?
The main hope is that we can play home series in our country like we have been playing in India or the UAE. That will really boost cricket in Afghanistan. Hopefully that will happen one day too. That aside, I hope there is love and peace. And that the players spread the message of peace, that they convince the people who are angry to come forward and work towards the benefit of everyone.