Faqrullah High School cricket pitch - in pictures

When Afghanistan were knocked out of the 2010 Twenty20, The Guardian, together with the charity Aghan Connection, launched a small campaign to help support the development of cricket in the country Photograph: Christoffer Hjalmarsson for The Guardian

This month a cricket pitch paid for by Guardian readers' donations was opened at Faqrullah High School in Jalalabad, Afghanistan Photograph: Christoffer Hjalmarsson for The Guardian

Besides being the capital of Nangarhar province, Jalalabad is also Afghanistan's cricket capital. Its proximity to neighbouring Pakistan is one explanation for this. It was there, in refugee camps, that many who had fled the fighting at home first learned to play. Many of the national cricket team come from the city and its surrounding areas. Photograph: Christoffer Hjalmarsson for The Guardian

For the school team, cultivating the local talent just got easier. "Yesterday we met and beat Kalei Shahi, another school in this district", says Abdel Baset, the most feared bowler at Faqrullah High. Photograph: Christoffer Hjalmarsson for The Guardian

17 year-old Abdel Baset, unlike many of his teammates, was never a refugee. "I learned to play five or six years ago, right here in the district." Photograph: Christoffer Hjalmarsson for The Guardian

Cricket is, to a large extent, the sport of the young generations in Afghanistan. The students often know more about the rules of the game than their teachers. Afghan Connection recently launched a series of training camps for coaches, funded by the Marylebone Cricket Club. Twenty-four teachers will be trained to the International Cricket Council's Level 1 or Level 2 coaching standards. Photograph: Christoffer Hjalmarsson for The Guardian

Top local batsman Abdul Khalil proves hard to dismiss. "The pitch really makes practice easier", he says. Photograph: Christoffer Hjalmarsson for The Guardian

Khalil, seen here keeping wicket, picked up a passion for the sport in Pakistan, where he lived until returning home in 2005. His favourite cricketer is Shahid Afridi. "I also like Hamid Hassan of the Afghan national team, he's a very good fast bowler." Photograph: Christoffer Hjalmarsson for The Guardian

The donations made by readers were enough to pay for the construction of the pitch and even left a contribution towards kit. There is still some equipment missing though. Here, the stumps are hammered back into the dirt after a successful wicket. These kind of inconveniences appear to be of little concern to the players. The students in the lower grades serve as enthusiastic fileders, and cheer when a wicket is claimed. Photograph: Christoffer Hjalmarsson for The Guardian

In a country ravaged by decades of war, and faced with the possibility of another civil conflict, there are no guarantees that building cricket pitches will bring positive change. But as far as the kids of Faqrullah are concerned, the pitch makes an immediate difference to their lives. Photograph: Christoffer Hjalmarsson for The Guardian