It means a lot to me to play cricket for Germany, says Afghan-born refugee Muslim Yar

When asked exactly what representing Germany at cricket means to him, Muslim Yar unconsciously adjusts his red cap with the black eagle crest. He puffs out his chest, across which “Deutschland” is picked out in red letters on a black shirt. Most noticeably, he wears a broad, proud smile.

“It is my country,” he says. “I wished a lot that I could play for Afghanistan, but it could not happen.

“I love cricket. I got a chance in Germany. When I arrived, I found some clubs and after that, slowly, slowly I have made my way through to the German national team.

“It means a lot for me to represent Germany. The country has already given me a lot. It is like my country now.”

Muslim arrived in Germany, via Turkey, six years ago during the so-called “long summer of migration” which saw over 250,000 Afghan refugees admitted to the country.

He has not been back to the country of his birth since. Which means six years without seeing his family, other than on the small-screen devices used for Skype or FaceTime – or, in the case of his brother, on the television.

With his age officially registered as 27, Sharafuddin Ashraf is approximately five years older than Muslim. To say the younger brother looks up to him is an understatement.

He is - like Muslim - a left-arm spinner, after all. And a good one, too. Sharafuddin has played 29 times for Afghanistan, including at the T20 World Cup in the UAE last year, when he was summoned as the replacement for retiring captain Asghar Afghan. All of which makes him a mine of expertise for his doting brother.

“I talked to him before our first game,” said Muslim, during the T20 World Cup Qualifier in Oman this week.

“He gave me some tips, told me where to put my fielders and how to bowl, and about the