The Afghanistan cricket team has, in the last few months climbed a cricket mountain and achieved a veritable miracle to firstly, reach the ICC Super Eight stage and then gain fifth place at the 2011 World Cup qualifying tournament in South Africa.

As a nation without a proper cricket ground, turf pitches, functioning cricket administration or coaching department; with no cricketers with first class or international experience and no local cricket coach, they had to compete against experienced cricket countries.

From being in the lowly fifth division of the ICC World League, they won that division in 2008 in a thrilling final against Jersey. It was a "Lagaan" style victory of village lads taking on the sophisticated "Imperial" team.

Except that the players were not even from a village but from the refugee camps.

And, as in the "Lagaan" match they played with no finesse but with pride, intensity and intent that only the dispossessed of the earth can have. Following that they beat Hong Kong for the Division 4 title and in January this year beat Cayman Islands for the Division 3 title.

In April they won, contrary to all expectations, against Bermuda and Denmark, thus qualifying for the World Cup Super Eight stage.

In that tournament they beat Ireland, Scotland and Namibia to reach sixth place which would entitle them to play ODIs – important for exposure, international experience and ICC funding.

Finally, they had to beat Kenya to qualify for fourth place and join the World Cup final group. Like with most fairy tales the dream, so close, ended with a loss and exit from the World Cup qualifying group.

However Afghanistan rounded off the tournament and their incredible long march with a convincing win (in the play-off) over Scotland to secure fifth place and guaranteed ODI status for four years.

They bowled, batted and fielded like men possessed or rather like boys who became men when they realised that their "caste" of inferiority was not justified; that they can better their opponents’ honed skills, equipment and swagger with their simple ways, iron will and their belief that they can win.

After a good start their batting fell away but resolute batting by Raees Ahmadzai (38), Samiullah Shenwari (52) and Hasti Gul, the all rounder saved the day; showing that they have not only pride and passion, but patience and temperament.

Hamid Hassan, their outstanding opening bowler in this tournament, played in sandals until recently; Raees, growing up in a refugee camp was a tennis ball "Tendulkar" until he took up hardball cricket in the late teens and Hasti was a diminutive tear away "Imran Khan" in slippers.

These young men (mostly in their early 20s) with their rustic methods and rusty tools have shown that they can match the world in an increasingly technology and mechanics driven game. They were not "mind games trained" but instead had minds forged by war, suffering and poverty; their hearts swollen with the burning desire to give all for their country with every ball they bowled, batted or when they fielded.

Afghanistan may not have reached the World Cup stage, but they have shown the world that they are a country not to be laughed at. Their courage and deeds on the world stage this month will provide badly needed role models for their impoverished youth.

The urchins who came for the crumbs at the World Cup Qualifying high table went back to their country with the ODI cake but without the icing of qualifying. But like the French peasants, they can eat this cake all day and enjoy both the miracle they have achieved and the hopes for bigger ones next time.

Afghanistan has mirrored the experiences of Sri Lanka of old when our players played not for money but for their country. A far cry from today when the captain, his vice captain and top players object to playing for their country because of too much cricket (50 days per year) and not earning enough (R13 millions per year).

Two players from the Afghan team have had recent, sad experiences of Sri Lanka. Raees and Hasti joined Sebastianites CC (Premier B) in 2007, to play for them at an agreed salary and conditions.

They had appalling experiences at the Moratuwa club and went back to Afghanistan midway through the 2007/8 season. As strangers in a foreign land (a country Raees said they had held in high regard) they were housed in dingy rooms, given mostly unsuitable, sometimes stale local food.

No assistance was given by the club to help them to settle, relate and communicate with the team. Apart from a visiting coach who went out of his way to assist them and invited them to his home, no club official cared about them.

As the club was in free fall from Tier A towards the bottom of Tier B, these boys were chopped and changed in the batting and bowling order, which lowered their confidence further.

The penultimate straw occurred at the Air Force ground where the team arrived to play a key game. Raees and Hasti, (whose arrangements were handled by the SL Cricket Board) were denied entry to the ground and sent back to Moratuwa. The Sebs team management did not protest or boycott the game which they played.

Raees and Hasti decided to go back home especially as they had used up all their savings on food and expenses. The final straw was yet to come: Sebastianites CC had agreed to pay them match fees and expenses but refused to give them a penny. SLC was approached and declined to help

On the day of their departure they borrowed some funds to buy a few souvenirs for their families. It is not known if they have since received their dues from the club or SLC.

Raees said "Since we started seeing cricket on TV we always loved Sri Lanka players and its people. We never thought that Sri Lanka would treat us like this". Hasti said "Sir, I don’t mean anything personal, but I will never come back here again."

In the afterglow of their World Cup tournament triumph, one hopes that Raees Ahmadzai and Hasti Gul, two young men from an Afghan refugee camp who climbed out of their personal hell and conquered the hearts of cricket lovers all over the world, will forget their short, sad visit to Sri Lanka.