Dean Jones terms the experience in Kabul as an 'eye opener'

Former Aussie batsman and renowned commentator, Dean Jones, who recently came back to India after his stint with the Shpageeza Cricket League in Kabul, Afghanistan, termed the entire experience as an ‘eye opener’. In a recent interview, Deano claimed that he was ‘glad’ he visited that part of the world to talk about the conditions their first hand.

Even though the standard of cricket was riveting in the inaugural edition of the competition, the league will be remembered for an unfortunate incident during one of the matches. The encounter between Boost Defenders and Mis Ainak Knights was halted due to a blast in the periphery of the stadium.

“We were not told the right things at the start, they said it was a cylinder blast. The players came off the ground and they too were told the same. It turned out to be a great match involving a chase of 200 runs. Later we were informed that it was an ISIS attack,” revealed Dean Jones according to Mirror.

The sacrifices would have meant nothing if we went back: Jones

“We could instantly go home. But we stuck together and decided to stay put. Look, we did not go there without knowing about the strife. It is a country that is not exactly in war but not in peace either. We knew something would pop up,” further revealed Jones. The suicide bomber who was stopped prior to the security check triggered the bomb, thereby, taking three lives including himself.

“Some people died trying to protect the freedom of playing the game of cricket, the game that we love. And they put their lives on the line to protect us. If we went back straight away after the attack, their sacrifices would have meant nothing. I am not paid to say this but the cricket was great and I would go there again,” concluded Jones, while promising to visit Afghanistan yet again.