USA will face Afghanistan in their first match at the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers to be held between 9th and 13th February in Dubai (UAE). Already, the contest is generating more than its required share of attention from world media.

By Venu Palaparthi

USA will face Afghanistan in their first match at the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers to be held between 9th and 13th February in Dubai (UAE).   Already, the contest is generating more than its fair share of world media attention.

Even though the clash undoubtedly will be viewed in the context of the 'war on terror,' the two countries are really not adversaries on the battlefield.  Nor have they ever played a cricket match against each other.    This is not exactly India versus Pakistan of 2004. 

"We should remember that many people support what the alliance is doing in the country," Sayed Aminzai of Afghanistan National Independent Cricket Board told The National newspaper recently.   He added, "The opinion is divided in the country and it is the same in the team.  Some of the players have a very good relationship with the American soldiers, while others hate them." 

In the larger context, the contest is remarkable given how bleak things were for the Afghans and the Americans only 2 years ago.  For Afghans, it was the clouds of war, and for USA it was the dark clouds of suspension.

An extraordinary odyssey

Let there be no doubt - it is Afghanistan's "extraordinary odyssey" to ODI status that is greatly inspiring.  In fact, it was reported last week that Virgin editorial director Ed Faulkner bought Tim Albone’s "Out of the Ashes", a book documenting the Afghanistan cricket team’s journey from obscurity to the brink of a World Cup.

Picture: Cricket match in progress in Afghanistan

The Afghan ascent began 10 months ago when they were still in the (then) lowest WCL Division 5, which they won convincingly.  They subsequently won Division 4 and Division 3 in a successful campaign extending across three continents - Europe, Africa and South America - and eventually progressed to the ICC World Cup Qualifier in South Africa. 

Even though they failed at this stage and missed an opportunity to go to World Cup 2011 to be held in the sub-continent, they were awarded the ODI tag for 4 years - making Afghanistan the first affiliate country to be granted ODI status without transiting through associate status!  Their new ranking also qualified them for the World Cup T20 Qualifiers.

All associates and affiliates, including USA, would do well to learn from Afghanistan's rise - there is no substitute for hard work.

Cricket picks up in USA

USA's battles were of the board-room variety and much has been written about USA's exile from international cricket action for a few years.

Since the suspension was lifted in 2008, the on-field performance has been more or less true to potential with the exception of an ill-fated outing in Jersey.   

There is now a sense of urgency to improve the state of the game in USA and utilize the opportinities presented by Twenty20.  USA Cricket Association has formulated three important goals for USA, first of which is to become a Top-15 cricket playing country by 2015.

Picture: Cricket match in progress in Los Angeles.
   
ICC and its member countries have helped USA and Afghanistan with their aspirations.  Whereas USA received help from West Indies - including an invitation to play in a domestic series in Guyana last year, Afghanistan have continued to receive help and support from Pakistan.  USA were handed a wild-card entry to the World Cup T20 Qualifiers by ICC.

Qualifying for the 2010 ICC World Cup T20

Eight teams will take part in the ICC World Cup T20 Qualifiers in Dubai.  They are vying for the two available spots reserved for the associates and affiliates in the 2010 ICC World Cup T20 to be held in West Indies.  

A top-two finish in the World Cup T20 qualifiers is not going to be easy - Kenya, Netherlands and Ireland are no pushovers.  But both Afghanistan and USA know that is is not impossible - having defeated Scotland and Canada respectively in the past year.  The T20 format provides a level playing field for the newbies - a few good overs in this newest format could transform the dark horse into a formidable threat and, as India found out recently at the 2009 ICC World Cup T20, a cricketing superpower can quickly become an also-ran.

The eight participating teams have been divided into two groups based on their seeding:

Group A: Ireland (#1), Scotland (#3), Afghanistan (#6) and USA (#8)

Group B: Netherlands (#2), Kenya (#4), Canada (#5) and the UAE (#7)

Top two teams from each group will enter a Super Four round and the grand finale will feature the top two teams.  The tournament was shifted to February by unanimous decision of the countries involved.

What is in store for the two qualifiers?

The qualifiers will enter the 2010 World Twenty20 hoping to make some impact there.  As things stand, a tougher challenge awaits the winner - the winner joins really tough sides - South Africa and India in Group C.  In contrast, the runner-up will join West Indies and England - a meet-up that offers greater prospects.

USA to proceed to Nepal from Dubai

After playing in Dubai, USA will need to quickly reboot and prepare themselves for the longer ODI format as they fly to Nepal for the WCL Division 5 to be held between 20th and 27th February 2010.   That tournament will include Nepal, Fiji, Jersey, USA and the two qualifiers from WCL Div. 6.

“These are exciting times for our Associate and Affiliate Members," said ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat, adding “There are some great opportunities for players beyond the Full Members to travel the world and play competitive cricket at international level."

“This is all part of the ICC’s commitment to developing our great sport around the globe for the benefit of each of our 104 Members."