John Faulkner (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Tonight, as I did last year, I want to speak about the achievements of the Afghanistan national cricket team, the burgeoning cricket scene in Afghanistan and the positive knock-on effects of those developments for Afghan society more broadly. The accomplishments of the Afghanistan national cricket team are remarkable given that they have been achieved against a backdrop of decades of violence and upheaval in that country. The Afghan national side's most recent result, at the ICC Twenty20 World Cup in Bangladesh, was a disappointment for them. They exited from the competition after going down to the spirited cricket minnows Nepal by just nine runs. As an encouraging side note, the match between these two newcomers to the cricket world stage was a strong sign that cricket is growing worldwide, particularly in countries that have traditionally lacked the resources to field international teams.

The last 12 months have been an especially important chapter in the history of cricket in Afghanistan. In June 2013 the Afghanistan Cricket Board was elevated from affiliate status to associate member status. For Afghanistan, elevation to associate member status means increased funding from the ICC and, importantly, more exposure to international cricket. In July 2013 the Afghanistan Cricket Board signed an MOU with the Afghanistan Ministry of Education that will see the introduction of cricket to the physical education curriculum in schools across Afghanistan.

In late 2013 the Afghanistan Cricket Board began the construction of a new Afghanistan Cricket Academy. It has appointed an Australian, Peter Anderson, as head coach of the academy. The academy will focus on technical skill development for current players as well as nurturing budding local talent. And there is a lot of local young cricketing talent in Afghanistan. At the ICC Under-19 World Cup in February this year the under-19 Afghan team beat three-time champions Australia in the opening group matches as well as topping their group and making it to the quarter finals of the event. It was just the second time that a non-test-playing nation had progressed to the final eight of the tournament.

Of course, Afghanistan's greatest achievement in the last 12 months has been their qualification for the ICC Cricket World Cup to be hosted in Australia and New Zealand next year. The recent success of the Afghanistan national cricket team and the growing popularity of cricket in that country has contributed to a growing nationwide sense of unity and pride, particularly amongst the younger population. I hope that all senators would join me in acknowledging and celebrating the success of the Afghan national cricket team and the contribution that both the team and the game of cricket are making to a stronger and united Afghanistan.