Nawroz Mangal - Living his Test dream vicariously

Sixteen years ago Nawroz Mangal was in attendance when Bangladesh played Pakistan in Peshawar. So it was an occasion of great significance for Afghanistan's most popular captain as the team's batting coach and selector watched the Test side beat Bangaldesh last week, continuing their meteoric rise in international cricket.

"I was a spectator of Bangladesh and Pakistan Test match in 2003 [in Peshawar] and now we are playing against Bangladesh and beating them in Test and that is certainly a huge achievement," Nawroz told Cricbuzz reflecting on the journey of Afghanistan's cricket over the last decade. "Definitely it was a big pleasure for me. When you are struggling and you are at a low stage and then you achieve your dreams then certainly that gives you a good amount of satisfaction," he said.

Afghanistan, ravaged by war, are gradually coming to terms with constant success at international cricket. It was reflected in the collective disappointment that engulfed the country during their winless World Cup campaign in England.

But the journey to this stage has obviously not been an easy one considering the Afghans were skeptical about their future as a cricket nation given their geo-political situation. Mangal, the former skipper who was instrumental in getting the team the ODI status in 2009, was one of the few persons who dared them to dream big.

"Initially when we started, we did not have the facilities. And people also did not know about cricket as they were not aware of cricket," he says. "They were thinking it's not our country game. First time there was big struggle. They were thinking we are wasting the time when we were playing cricket. There were no grounds, they were too small wherever we were playing. Now we are going for series, our cricket board is established and we play in good grounds in the academy," he says.

According to Mangal, two separate milestones on their cricketing journey attracted the collective consciousness of the country and the rest of the cricketing fraternity - Earning the ODI status in 2009 that was followed immediately by qualification to the World T20 in 2010.

"Yes, definitely [getting an identity as a cricket nation was a big factor]. When we were playing T20s and qualified for the 2010 World Cup it was a big achievement for us. We were targeting to be cricketing nation from very past since we started the cricket. But from 2012 when we started matches against Australia, Bangladesh and all those full nations, we played very well," he says.

"The secret behind our winning team now is that people love cricket. They understand we have a blood of talent and they are playing leagues- Rashid, Nabi, Mujib anybody playing and they are earning money. So now people and parents are thinking why not my son should play [and become another Mohammad Nabi or Rashid Khan]," he said.

Mangal, who missed out on playing a test for Afghanistan, has now made his peace by helping this batch of Test cricketers to succeed at a level that was once considered too far for them. "It was a big achievement for me to reach the T20Is and ODIs. It was like my dream came true when we got the Test status but unfortunately I did not get a Test game.

"Our batting is now improved. We have played short format cricket too much but we are now telling them how to defend and how to leave the ball. They are talented batsmen and they are adapting very well to what we are telling them.

"I learned from the big players. When you are in a stage, you should enjoy your stage. When I was player it was different, when I was captain it was different for me and when I was selector I am in different stage," he said. "Now, I am a coach, and that's a different stage for me as well. I enjoyed all of them and now I am enjoying this coaching job as well."