Shpageeza Cricket League is a great platform for youngsters to learn from seniors, says Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi

Afghanistan’s home-grown T20 league, the Shpageeza Cricket League, is nearing its business end with the final scheduled to be played on August 24.

The Shpageeza Cricket League this year has seen participation from many Afghanistan international players like current ODI and Test captain Hashmatullah Shahidi, former captain and leg spin bowler Rashid Khan, Naveen-Ul-Haq, Mohammad Nabi, Fazalhaq Farooqui and Azmatullah Omarzai among others.

All matches in the Shpageeza Cricket League are played in Kabul.

On the sidelines of the cricket tournament, Shahidi heaped praise on the league and termed it a ‘game changer for cricket in Afghanistan’. “If you see, Shpageeza is our top league and this year we have all the national heroes playing. They have taken time out from their schedules to play here and it is an opportunity for the people of Afghanistan to come and see their heroes in person and on TV,” Shahidi told FanCode, the official broadcaster of the league in India.

Shahidi said many matches in this year’s annual league have been exciting, with last over and last ball finishes. “All the games have been exciting. We’ve had a Super Over that went down till the last ball,” he said.

The Afghanistan ODI and Test match skipper said the Shpageeza Cricket League offers a good opportunity for young Afghan cricketers to share the dressing room with senior players and also learn a lot from them. “There is a great opportunity for youngsters to learn from seniors and share the dressing room with them. It’s also a huge opportunity to learn to handle pressure in big games against top players,” Shahidi explained.

The Afghanistan cricket team has been on the rise in men’s cricket and have also reached the semifinals of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup held in June in the USA and West Indies.

Many Afghanistan players play in different leagues around the world including the Indian Premier League, Big Bash League, Caribbean Premier League and Pakistan Super League among others.