An Interview With Afghanistan’s Taj Malik Alam
Taj Malik Alam is the Secretary General of the Afghanistan Cricket Federation and national team coach. A passionate and proud man, he is not afraid to talk up his country’s cricket stocks and with good reason, for it is due in no small part to his efforts that Afghanistan is perhaps the most exciting and talked about emerging cricketing nation.
Taj Malik Alam lives and breathes cricket. In an interview with the Asian Cricket Council he stated that he dreams of the day when his country, God willing, will beat one of the full members. Maybe that day isn’t so far away. Cricket is growing at a rapid pace in Afghanistan. People of all ages are taking an interest in the game, facilities are being upgraded and international results are very encouraging.
Sadly, Afghanistan is famous for war, bombs, fighters and peace keepers. Taj Malik Alam believes that his country can be more famous for it’s cricketing prowess.
Global Cricket
I thought it was about time I started my own blog. I have followed associate and affiliate cricket since 1998. Tony Munro’s BTTW column was a great inspiration. Global Cricket will specifically focus on the non-test playing cricket nations of the world. At present there are 91 countries that have associate or affiliate membership of The International Cricket Council. Most of these nations aspire to play at the highest level. How are they bridging the gap in standards? Do they have good facilities, strong development programs and sound administrative practices in place? There is a need for cricket to embrace a more diverse cultural outlook if it is to prosper in the future. The ICC’s global development program was first initiated in 1997 and began to really take shape after the 2001 ICC Trophy in Toronto, Canada. Although a new cricketing powerhouse is yet to emerge, it is clear that standards are improving dramatically and in time more nations will be able to compete with the 10 full members. I will be featuring newspaper articles of interest, opinion pieces and articles written by myself and some ideas about expanding the game. Please feel free to comment.-Ben Stinga
-
Recent Comments
