In war and in peace, passion for cricket alive and well in Afghanistan

Hikmatullah, 30, plays cricket at a playground in Kabul, Afghanistan October 22, 2021. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra

KABUL (Reuters) - Khushhal has been fighting for the Taliban since he was 13 but now that they have won the war against the former government, he has more time for playing cricket and supporting the Afghan national team as they begin their T20 World Cup campaign on Monday.

"We were fighting for Islam and the Koran - but we still paid attention to cricket as well," Khushhal, 18, told Reuters at the Chaman-e-Huzoori public ground, where he was playing in one of the dozens of matches underway on Friday, a public holiday in Afghanistan.