Cricket crazy Afghan fan makes replica T20 World Cup trophy

Afghanistan’s rise in the world of cricket over the last half a decade has been inspirational. Despite being in all sorts of turmoil and an unstable environment, the nation has witnessed its cricketers defy odds and sustain every challenge with their heads held high to carve a niche for themselves.

Afghanistan cricket team will be in action in the upcoming T20 World Cup, scheduled from October 17 in the United Arab Emirates and Oman. With the team producing certain world-class players, the passion for the sport has grown manifold in the nation and Sharaf Naib, a Kabul province resident, just exemplified again that as he prepared a brilliant replica of the T20 World Cup trophy.

“Afghanistan, the country which has always produced talents to the cricket world, as a result of the passion & love of its Nation. A young Afghan Cricket fan has yet again proved his ability on preparing a brilliant piece of @T20WorldCup statue,” Afghanistan Cricket Board tweeted on October 13, alongside a picture of the fan and the trophy replica.

Afghanistan, the country which has always produced talents to the cricket world, as a result of the passion & love of its Nation. A young Afghan Cricket fan has yet again proved his ability on preparing a brilliant piece of @T20WorldCup statue.

Video: https://t.co/7IwcRm4QRJ pic.twitter.com/s7lJyTVDjn

— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) October 13, 2021

Hope that one day our national heroes will gift the trophy to us: Naib

“It is my dream [to see Afghanistan win the World Cup] and [I] hope that the Afghan cricket heroes will shine and lift the T20 World Cup,” Naib, A daily wage labour, said in a video posted on Afghanistan Cricket Board’s official YouTube.

“Every Afghan feels that it is only cricket [that] makes us happy and gives us living hope.”

“At first, I would like to thank International Cricket Council from the core of my heart for having always valued Afghanistan as a cricket-loving nation, and I hope that the ICC should be more supportive for the development of cricket and do more investment in Afghanistan,” he added.

Revealing about his background, Naib says that despite being daily wage labour, he took out time to make the replica of the World Cup trophy. “I have so much for cricket. It is because of this love and interest that I have made this trophy by my hands,” Nain, who also prepared the ODI World Cup 2019 trophy earlier, said.

“We hope that one day our national heroes will gift the World Cup trophy to us,” Naib said while wishing his team luck ahead of the tournament.

Afghanistan, who have been grouped alongside India, Pakistan and New Zealand in Group B, will begin their campaign on October 25 against the qualifier. They next play Pakistan (October 29), the second qualifier (October 31), India (November 3) and New Zealand (November 7) in the Super12.