Amaan Haider (centre) flanked by Afghanistan’s cricketers Mohammad Nabi (right) and Mujeeb-ur-Rahman.

Mohammad Abdullah, Senior Sports Reporter

Afghanistan team have witnessed a meteoric rise since their debut in international cricket. They have been a permanent feature of all the major tournaments in the last one decade.

They are known for playing a firebrand and fearless cricket, which has propelled them in the league of the big boys. In the 2022 edition of the Asia Cup, they qualified for the last four.

Now they are on a mission in India – World Cup 2023. But very few people know the fact that these hard¬-hitting and fearless cricketers are lovers of Urdu literature.

World of sports and literature are often considered poles apart because of their contrasting differences.

But the tough boys of Afghanistan cricket team like former captain Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Naveen-ul-Haq and Mujeeb-ur-Rahman are ardent aficionados of Urdu poetry and romantic to the core of their hearts.

This trait of their personality came to the fore when they struck a chord with the renowned UAE-based Indian poet Amaan Haider.

The story of the friendship of Haider with the Afghanistan cricketer is both amusing and amazing. It is said nothing unites two people like a shared passion or a shared misery. And Afghanistan players have a deep passion for poetry.

When the Afghanistan cricketers are not plying their trade on the pitches, they prefer to soothe themselves with the poetry.  

Away from the hustle and bustle of chaotic city life, Afghanistan cricketers like Nabi and his team-mates hold small gatherings in the serenity of remote places for an immersive experience. They find solace in poetry after slogging out in the scorching sun, braving harsh weather and hostile fans on foreign tours.

Haider, who works with VFS Global, went to Kabul on a business trip in 2016 and there he happened to meet the then Afghanistan captain Mohammad Nabi through a mutual friend.

“I was introduced to Nabi through a friend of mine. I did not know he had any kind of interest in poetry. We were sitting in a gathering and I read a few lines for him.

“Nabi was so impressed that he exchanged the numbers. Then we started hanging out and became very close friends,” said Haider.

“He introduced me to his team-mates Rashid, Naveen and Mujeeb to name a few. When Afghanistan shifted their home ground to Sharjah Stadium. Our meetings became more frequent.

“I was awe-struck by their interest in urdu poetry and their deep understanding of the language. They are very humble and do not wear an attitude on their sleeves,” added Haider, who became the first UAE-based poet to get a golden visa.

“When my book Apni Amaan Mein Rakhna (Keep me in your safety) was launched at the Expo 2020 by the Indian Ambassador Sunjay Sudhir, I invited Nabi. I noticed he was sitting in the back row and nodded to him to come in the front. And when people realized that there was an international cricket star among them, it became very chaotic in the hall as everybody wanted to take a selfie with him,” Haider informed.

On asking, when India and Afghanistan are playing, whom does he cheer for? Haider replied: “Both the countries are like brothers. India has always treated Afghanistan like a younger brother. It is like a game between two brothers and I root for both the teams.

“Our relationship with Afghanistan goes back to the friendship between Mahatma Gandhi and Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan before independence in 1947. We are just taking that friendship forward.

“Nabi has invited me to come and watch their games. I will definitely go to cheer for them moreover, because they are playing in our home country. I think I am duty-bound both as a friend and a host to make them feel special,” he said.

Haider, who is also an avid cricket fan, wished Afghanistan all the best for their World Cup campaign in India. Afghanistan will play their first match against Bangladesh on Saturday.