No sweat, says Afghan team, practises at midnight in Noida

For the Afghanistan cricket team which has been in

Greater Noida

for six months now, practising during Ramzan has been no easy game – they face a daunting tour of Europe right after the holy month of fasting. However, the team has found a solution to the problem – practising at midnight and avoiding the heat during daytime. They practise at their adopted home ground – the Shahid Vijay Singh Pathik Stadium – under the floodlights after breaking their fast.


The team, which is preparing for a back-to-back series against Ireland and the Netherlands next month, reaches the ground at 10pm and practises till 2am; sometimes even till later. Amin, the team manager, says, “All of the boys are fasting during Ramzan, so practising during the day is almost impossible. Plus the heat is another deterrent. During Ramzan, we try and do things in a way that the players don’t exhaust themselves. Since we have a big tour of Europe coming up in July, we needed regular practice and this was the only solution.”


Over the last week, the team has had gruelling net practice sessions after midnight, broken only by short mango feasts. Amin says, “The players need to eat to gain their strength. So, we have food and fruits on the ground, which they keep eating while practising.” The team certainly seems to be having a lot of fun and have no complaints about this rather topsy-turvy schedule. Samiullah Shenwari, the team captain, jokes, “We have been fortunate to have practised despite fasting and the heat. Plus, since we practise late at night, we are already running on UK time where our first series is. So I don’t think there will be any jet lag.”
Shafiqullah Stanikzai, CEO of the

Afghanistan Cricket Board

, has flown down to Noida to oversee the preparations. “The boys are actually happy about practising at night because that way, they can practise without any distractions and noise. But hats off to the ground staff too. I’m thankful to them for helping the team practise late at night. They are very cooperative,” he says.