Afghan cricketers at forefront to aid poor amid COVID-19

By Shadi Khan Saif

KABUL, Afghanistan (AA) - Afghanistan's favorite sports stars, national cricketers, are at the forefront to aid the poor and vulnerable in the lockdown amid coronavirus pandemic.

As the fragile system of governance grapples with the creeping pandemic in the war-ravaged country, the subsequent lockdown imposed to limit its spread has added to the woes of millions of poor Afghans losing daily earnings.

The war-torn nation has reported 665 confirmed cases of coronavirus with 21 deaths so far.

- Paying back community

Emerging to the global stage themselves from bitter past in refugee camps in the neighboring Pakistan, the world acclaimed senior Afghan cricketers like Mohammed Nabi know from their personal experience the hardships many such fellow countrymen are going through these days.

"We now consider it our moral duty to return the fortune and serve our society for the love and respect it has given to us," the 35-year-old cricketer, considered by the International Cricket Council (ICC) one of the top all-rounders in the world, told Anadolu Agency.

Nabi is among the founding members of the Afghan national team that has secured not only full membership of the prestigious ICC club within years of its formation, but also went on to give thrilling competitions to some of the toughest sides such as England, India, Ireland, and Pakistan.

"During the time as refugees, we went through tough times so we can very well imagine what needy people are going through under current difficult times," he added.

With his Mohammed Nabi Foundation (MNF), hundreds of thousands of poor and marginalized Afghans have received steady supplies of basic commodities across the country during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Raees Ahmadzai, Nabi's former teammate and the vice president of the MNF, said the charity establishment is entirely funded domestically with contributions from local Afghans.

"Our aim is to serve the needy people in every corner of the country (...) we aim to support children's education and extend the welfare operations in a number of other sectors as well," Ahmadzai told Anadolu Agency.

- Stars uniting in solidarity

Following the footsteps of Nabi, many of his teammates have either contributed to the MNF or taken individual measures to reach out to the poor and needy with packages of basic food aid.

Rashid Khan, a sensational young Afghan talent who has taken the cricket world by storm with his all-round performance with the bat and ball, is among those teammates. Khan, like Nabi, now features in almost all commercial leagues from Australia to England, and from the West Indies to India and Bangladesh.

"We don't need to have deep pockets or to be rich to help the needy and poor people, we just need a heart," he said in a statement along with pictures of a stock of food supplies for distribution among those in dire need.

The list on contributors goes on with many avoiding the limelight and focusing on service delivery.

Afghanistan's leading sports commentator Ibrahim Momand recalled the early days when the iconic cricketers began their journey literally empty-handed. He told Anadolu Agency that upon return from Pakistan nearly two decades ago, the then-young Afghan refugees like Nabi and others could not afford to buy even the basic sportswear, but have gone to impress all in the arena with their talent.

Their talent brought a fortune as various commercial cricket leagues acquired their service and star attraction for handsome amount of money.

"You have to remember they are sports stars of a poor country, and these cricketers are not extra rich such as other global sports celebrities. Some of them still live in rented homes, but they have big hearts to share all they have with their needy country mates," Momand said.

Over 1.92 million COVID-19 cases have now been reported in 185 countries and regions since last December, with Europe and the U.S. being the worst-hit, according to data compiled by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

So far, nearly 120,000 people have died and over 458,000 recovered around the world.