Logar provincial officials announced on Sunday that the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has started work on a new cricket ground in Pul-e-Alam, the provincial capital.

The 15-acre cricket venue will cost $500,000 USD to build and will take two years to complete, officials said adding that this was being paid for by India.

Provincial Governor Mohammad Alim Fedayee said: “I am very happy that today construction of a standard cricket ground started in Logar. This will help encourage youths to play cricket.”

“I hope one day these children and young people who were playing cricket here will become stars like our national cricket players and also become part of the national cricket team in the future,” he said.

ACB’s chairman, Shukrullah Atif Mashal, said that he had also reviewed Paktia province’s new cricket field and found it to be below standard.

“Unfortunately I have to say that the work process (of Paktia’s cricket filed) is not up to standard and when I go to Kabul I will check the agreement and then I will talk to the company. I will find the problem and solve it quickly,” Mashal said.

Zalmai Wesa, Paktia’s provincial governor, said: “I believe that the head of the ACB is very serious in his work and will solve the issues of the stadium because the Paktia cricket field is Afghanistan’s international cricket stadium.”

“We are also asking the ACB to look into creating cricket academies in the province (Paktia),” Wesa said.

Paktia’s stadium was built on 35 acres of land and construction cost about $1.5 million USD, which came out of the ACB’s development budget.