Peshawar: Pakistan has effectively become a home ground for Afghanistan’s national baseball team, where players are training for international competitions despite limited resources. The setup has given Afghan athletes rare access to proper facilities in the region.
To begin with, the Afghan baseball team was formed after developments in 2023 during the West Asia Cup held in Sri Lanka. At that time, Syed Amin Afridi learned that Afghanistan’s team existed only as a registered name in the international federation. This led him to organize trials for Afghan refugees in Khyber district and Peshawar, which eventually resulted in the formation of an 18 member national squad at the Jamrud Baseball Academy.
Moving forward, Pakistan has hosted the Afghan baseball training camp mainly because of the availability of facilities. In the open grounds of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, around 60 percent of Pakistan’s national baseball players also practice at the same academy, showing how shared resources are being used for both teams.
In addition, Afghan players continue to train despite financial difficulties. Many of them even buy basic sports equipment from local markets. Despite these challenges, the team has represented Afghanistan in international events held in Dubai and Iran in 2025.
However, concerns are now growing over the future of the team due to the ongoing return of Afghan refugees from Pakistan. Coach Syed Amin says that if the players are forced to leave, they will not find similar training facilities in Afghanistan.
Similarly, team captain Abdul Ghafor Shinwari says the players have been representing their country for six to seven years without any salary or financial support. As a result, the players are now demanding proper financial and technical assistance. They believe that just like cricket, baseball should also receive institutional support to survive and grow.
