A knock and a pair of gloves

Rohit Mahajan

After the match, a little boy with a bandage on his hand waited outside the Australian dressing room. If it matters, the boy's nationality was Afghani, and his team was Afghanistan. But, on spotting him, David Warner came out from the dressing room to talk with him -- but he remembered something, went in and came back carrying a pair of gloves. This little boy was hit by the ball when Warner hit a flat six during his knock. The ball was travelling right at the boy, who seemed unaware of the danger; his hand was on his chest, and the ball struck him right on his hand. The poor kid's image was shown on the giant screen, and Warner realised what had happened. “I didn't realise it until I saw it on the big screen,” he said later. “I gave him a pair of gloves and signed them and just had a quick chat there with him and his father... He's a bit better now. He had a little bit of a bandage on him, but I said I hope he gets well.”
Dancing the night away
Late on the eve of this match, three fans of Afghan cricketers stood outside Gate 2 of the WACA. They wanted to go in, but they were mere fans, without any accreditation. They were polite and persistent, and the security guards were a good sport — they let the trio in, mainly because of the novelty factor.
“Fans of the Afghan cricket team are such a rarity,” said one of the guards. The three were in the ground today, as were a few thousand more. They raised quite a din, with their drumbeats and shouts and dances. In the evening, even as the Afghans in the middle struggled to keep their innings alive, the Afghans in the stands danced to the sounds of the drumbeats they raised. “It’s worth celebrating, the fact that the team is playing in the World Cup,” said Nakibullah Durrani. “They had had no facility, they had no equipment, they’ve played seriously for only 10 years... Yet they’re in the World Cup, playing Australia at WACA. This is just great.”
Another fan, wearing a traditional embroidered kameez and shalwar, topped with an Afghan cap, said it was a moment of pride. “I don’t really care for cricket, but I’m here because I’m proud that our team is in the World Cup,” he said. “I’m here because there’s something to cheer about from our country.”