Trump travel ban could impact Afghan cricket players traveling to Major League matches
The Brief
Five Afghan players are awaiting visa approvals to enter the U.S. after President Trump's travel ban went into effect on Monday.
The players are expected to compete in a series of cricket matches held at the Oakland Coliseum this week.
The SF Unicorns will be playing their opening match Thursday.
OAKLAND, Calif. - A travel ban barring citizens from 12 countries from coming into the United States took effect on Monday. The plan, put in place by President Donald Trump, could have a big impact on a set of Major League Cricket matches held at the Oakland Coliseum this week.
The SF Unicorns' opening match will be played at the Coliseum on Thursday, the first in a series of matches hosted in Oakland this week. Organizers hope to draw thousands of fans, but President Trump's new travel ban could keep some of the world's top cricket players out of the country and off the pitch.
"There are some big names who will pull crowd whose visa is in doubt at this point," Hemant Buch, head of the California Cricket Academy in Santa Clara told KTVU. Buch has been training young cricket players in the Bay Area for 20 years, and he says these players need the best coaches and competitors to thrive.
"We need players who have gone through the grind for years and years, who have that persona and passion, to pass on their knowledge, and that will only come from the international community at this point," Buch said.
The travel ban is aimed at 12 countries, primarily in Africa and the Middle East, including Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
Afghanistan is on that list, and five major league cricket players from the country may not be permitted to enter the U.S. For this week's tournament.
Shakaib Rahimi is an ambassador for Afghan cricket players, and has been assisting teams in getting visas processed. He says barring Afghan players will leave a mark on the sport at a critical time of growth.
"Afghanistan cricket is on the rise, and not having Rashid Khan or any other Afghanistan national player participate will definitely have a negative impact," Rahimi told KTVU.
Of the seven Afghan players contracted with the MLC, only two are currently in the U.S. ahead of this week's matches. The other five players are awaiting visa approval.
Rahimi says those players are not currently in Afghanistan, which could have complicated their ability to travel.
Dig deeper
Cricket is growing in the U.S., and the international community is an important part of the game. Folks we spoke to say losing out on big names could affect the sport's future success in the states.
"Now every city wants cricket. We will need international coaches," Buch said.
And it's not just coaches — American cricket players also need the chance to compete with the best in their age group, including international players.
"In India the boys are playing… seven days a week, here the boys are playing twice a week," said Biml Jadej, a coach with CCA.
The travel ban currently allows athletes from banned countries to enter the U.S. for "major sporting events". Organizers say they are awaiting the Department of State's decision on whether this tournament will fall into that category.
KTVU reached out to the Department of State for the status of those visas, but the department did not make anyone available in time for this report.
Officials with the MLC say they are hopeful the Afghan players will be able to get to the U.S., but they will be ready for this week's matches, no matter what.
"We're pretty fluid and there is backup… The bulk of our international players are in already, and they've come in very smoothly. It's out of our hands, to a degree, we've done what we can to mitigate it," Justin Geale, Chief Operating Officer for Major League Cricket.
If you're interested in attending any of the matches at the Coliseum this week, ticket information can be found at the MLC website.
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