Cricket's popularity continues astonishing growth in Afghanistan

At a time when the country is in the middle of a political crisis, cricket has proved to be a unifying factor and a pleasant distraction for the citizens of Afghanistan.

The country's meteoric rise in international cricket has been well documented in recent times. Now, in a quest to further strengthen the popularity of the sport and take it to the interiors, the Afghanistan Cricket Board launched their biggest televised sporting event in the country – the second edition of their national Twenty20 tournament.

As it turned out, the tournament, aimed at helping the board identify young and upcoming talent as well as spreading the game through the television medium, turned out to be a massive success. A crowd upwards of 5,000 attended most matches of the five-team tournament, with the final between Band-e-Amir, captained by Mohammad Nabi, and Mis-e-nak, led by Nowroz Mangal, drawing an audience of close to 12,000.