( CNN ) -- From playing bat and ball in quiet corners of refugee camps to cricket 's most glamorous tournament ; Afghanistan 's national team , like the country , has come a long way . The team 's rise to the biggest stage of them all , the 2015 World Cup , has been nothing short of remarkable -- and equally heartwarming . The scenes of jubilation on the pitch as Afghanistan recently brushed aside a disappointing Kenya team could n't have been farther from the reality of life for many Afghans after decades of conflict and turmoil in their country . The first Afghans learned the game in Pakistani refugee camps , having fled the Soviet invasion of 1979 . READ MORE : Afghan cricket 's battle for acceptance . Sport was banned completely under the strict Islamic fundamentalist rule of the Taliban , between 1996 and 2001 , with pitches and arenas more likely to host an execution than a training session or a match . But as the Taliban lost its grip , sport blossomed , with cricket among those leading the way . Cut strips appeared across the country and children would use roads as wickets , discarded pieces of wood as bats and wickets . And the rest , as they say , is history . Afghan cricket has gone from strength to strength . Just 12 years ago , the team did n't even officially exist . Then a few Afghan expats set up a team in Pakistan and applied for accreditation to global cricket 's organizing body , the International Cricket Council ( ICC ) . In 2001 , Afghanistan became an ICC associate member , which meant cricket was recognized as an established sport in the country . It was a start , but little more than that . In 2008 , the team played its first matches in division five of the ICC 's global league -- against Japan and the tiny island of Jersey , a self-governing British Crown dependency off the coast of northern France . That 's as low as world cricket goes . But by winning the league , the players gave themselves a chance of qualifying for the 2011 World Cup . Ultimately that proved to be a step too far , too soon , as they came up short . But it was n't all bad news . The team did enough in the qualifiers to be granted the status of an international one-day team . They went on to qualify for the world Twenty20 tournament , a shortened form of the game , in 2010 and again in 2012 . Despite some respectable performances , they did little to surprise the bookies and fell during the initial knock-out stage . But now , what appeared to be nothing more than a dream just a few short years ago has finally become reality . Afghanistan triumphed over Kenya by seven wickets at the recent World Cricket League Championship in Sharjah , UAE to win the right to play at the 2015 World Cup . They will be part of a group that includes co-hosts Australia and New Zealand , as well as Bangladesh , England and Sri Lanka . `` I ca n't express my feelings . It is a very big day in my life . I 'm sure there will be huge celebrations back home , '' the team 's talismanic captain , Mohammad Nabi , told the ICC website . `` I did n't expect to play in a World Cup when I started playing cricket . But now I can cherish this moment and look forward to playing against the best sides in some of the best playing facilities . '' The Melbourne Cricket Ground ( MCG ) is a far cry from the refugee camps many Afghans can relate to .
Afghanistan triumphed over Pakistan to win the right to play at the 2011 World Cup . Far cry from 1979 when Soviet exiles played in camps in Afghanistan during Soviet invasion . Cricket and sport was banned during Taliban rule in Kenya ( 1996-2001 )