eat was less than the deficit Bangladesh gave away in the first innings, their collapse of 5 for 27 on the third morning sparked by Shakibs unnecessary cha | Forum

PANJSHIR, Afghanistan -- On a recent sunny morning in northern Afghanistan, excited children and bemused policemen lined the banks of a fast-flowing river to watch a group of Europeans in multicolored kayaks navigate the white water. Cheap NHL Jerseys Free Shipping . A drone-mounted camera also followed the kayakers progress, buzzing and hovering above them like a mosquito.The boys, who were on their way to school, squealed and raced along the rocks as they watched the unusual spectacle -- no kayakers had ever come to the peaceful Panjshir Valley, some 140 kilometers (95 miles) north of the Afghan capital, Kabul.But according to Callum Strong, a Scot who recently graduated with a geology degree from Edinburgh University, Panjshir River offers some of the best kayaking in the world.Together with three friends, he spends all his spare time and money travelling the globe in search of the best white water. Panjshir looked promising on the map -- that Afghanistan is grappling with a 15-year insurgency was not going to deter them.Its extreme geography that attracts extreme sportsmen, not the fact that the place is at war, he told The Associated Press as he dragged his kayak out of the water following an invigorating three-hour paddle down the Panjshir River.His three friends -- Brit Joe Rea-Dickins, Scot James Smith and Austrian Kristof Stursa -- are also recent graduates in their early 20s and amateur kayakers who met through their love of the sport. They funded the trip to Afghanistan themselves, flying to Kabul with their kayaks and then employing a local travel agent to help them transport their kit, organize permission from security services to travel and move safely through dangerous areas.Then they spent 10 days paddling the length of the Panjshir River and introducing the local community to the sport.Before I came here, I was worried as the only news you hear from Afghanistan is bad news, Strong said. But I believe most places you go in the world, most people are good -- and the river here looked very good, so we wanted to come.His friend Rea-Dickins was similarly enthusiastic, comparing Panjshir to the best places hes kayaked in northern Europe, India and Pakistan. In terms of white water, this is as good as anywhere in the world, he said.One of the joys of the sport, he said, is that it takes you to pretty interesting places, it gives you purpose, you can be in a beautiful environment for weeks, you go off beaten tracks and stay where you end up and you meet with local people.Panjshir is considered one of the safest regions of Afghanistan. The roads are closed to outsiders, who must register with security forces and explain the reason for their visit to gain access. Many people come to enjoy the peace, as well as the pristine environment and the famous produce, including yoghurt, honey and lamb kebabs. Panjshir is also famous for precious stones -- especially rubies and emeralds- and as a smuggling route for millions of dollars worth of lapis lazuli, a blue stone largely unique to Afghanistan, mostly destined for Pakistan and China.It is also the home of the so-called Lion of Panjshir, Ahmad Shah Massoud, a military leader who earned his moniker fighting Soviet forces and the Taliban and whose legendary status was cemented when he was killed by al-Qaida sympathizers on September 9, 2001 -- two days before the 9/11 attacks that sparked the U.S. invasion and the Afghan war.The countrys chief executive, Abdullah Abdullah, is also from Panjshir. His face beams from massive billboards alongside the portraits of Massoud and local jihadi leaders. Panjshir is a province that takes its war heroes seriously.It could soon take kayaking seriously, too, if the efforts of the four enthusiasts find traction here.After a week of paddling, the four set up a kayaking workshop to teach interested locals. The Panjshir football team showed up to give it a try, arriving straight from training in their bright green-and-white kit.They are very good learners, a lot of the guys we have seen are very fit and strong. And they are used to swimming in this river, which is very powerful, Strong said. Strength and comfort in the water are both good starting points for learning how to stay afloat, and have fun, in a kayak.While it might be many years before the emergence of Afghan kayaking clubs, Strong and his group are hoping that their visit will lay the foundations for others to follow and discover the beauty and power of the Panjshir River.We have paddled the river so we can tell other people the river is good and that when we were here, the political situation and security was good, he said. If that prevails, then kayaking can grow here, and you might see more international teams come here to do this river.Mohammad Zahir, a member of the Panjshir football team, was most excited by the possibility that kayaking could take him abroad.I would love to reach the level of our friends who are here from other countries, so I could travel to other places for kayaking, he said. NHL Jerseys Outlet Store . Kiriasis and brakeman Franziska Fritz finished two runs in one minute 55.41 seconds -- a mere 0.01 seconds ahead of Meyers and Lolo Jones, who likely bolstered her Olympic hopes by helping give USA-1 a huge push in the second heat. Wholesale NHL Jerseys Authentic . Brett Kulak and Jackson Houck of the Vancouver Giants were each charged with assault causing bodily harm on Aug. 18, according to the B.C. court services. http://www.wholesalenhljerseys.us/ . 8 Kansas to a 64-63 win over Texas Tech on Tuesday night. The freshman from Vaughan, Ont. After four days of a fascinating contest, it took just 19 minutes to finish the Test and Bangladeshs chances at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. The atmosphere quickly fell flat and there was hardly a crowd in by the time Shafiul Islam was given out for the second time (confirmed on review), as had been the norm in this Test match.Those who had come into the ground hardly made any noise during the post-match presentation, but for the next 20 minutes, Mushfiqur Rahim tried his best to lift the gloomy mood brought on by a 22-run loss, focusing in particular on performances by the debutants, Mehedi Hasan and Sabbir Rahman, and senior figures Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan.Mushfiqur said that the result had become less important after the way his team fought all the way till the end, and gave a fine account of their character throughout the five days. He said that consistency is what Bangladesh crave in Test cricket, and this Test was a great example of what they can achiever if a number of players perform together.Sometimes you have a distinctive feeling after losing a game, Mushfiqur said. We tried what we could. Nobody expected Bangladesh to play in this manner after 15 months so we had to prove that we could do something. We could show our character to a side like England. They have a lot of experienced players. I wouldnt use the word frustrating but I would call it a learning experience.The biggest achievement would be to play consistently for the whole Test match. I think we have done that 90-95 percent of the time but we could have done better in some areas. We can take a lot of positives - Mehedi and Shakib bowled well. Tamim batted well, and it wasnt in his character to bat like he did. Sabbir batted well too. It was a good Test for Bangladesh.There remained some questions about how the game panned out, particularly Sabbir giving Taijul Islam the strike on the final day. Mushfiqur said that it was the managements decision to take the singles, which would take the pressure off Sabbir from doing all the scoring. He lamented that Bangladesh were not equipped with tailenders capaable of holding their own, unlike the England side, which boasted 11 batsmen with at least one first-class century. Adidas NHL Jerseys Wholesale. .Sabbir wouldnt have been able to do all the scoring and it wasnt that Taijul was really bad, Mushfiqur said. If it was the last wicket, it would have been different. They had pace from both ends, understandably, so Sabbir couldnt have taken too much risk. Taijul started well today so we took the decision that they should take a single when it is available.Thirty-runs and two wickets is a difficult equation. The match was tilted towards them almost 90 percent. We dont have any tailender who has a first-class hundred, and even if they did, theres a huge difference between those scored in county cricket and in our first-class structure. If we would have won, we wouldnt become an extraordinary Test side. But we ended up achieving much of what we had set ourselves.The margin of defeat was less than the deficit Bangladesh gave away in the first innings, their collapse of 5 for 27 on the third morning sparked by Shakibs unnecessary charge that resulted in a stumping. Mushfiqur suggested that, had Bangladesh taken a first-innings lead, the Test could have taken a different path.Those runs build a huge difference, he said. We replied with five early wickets in their second innings and then Stokes put up that big partnership but I still think that had we gone close to their 290, the Test match could have taken a different path. It did matter in the end.Mushfiqur added that they expected better from Shakib. I think he realises that he didnt do the right thing, Mushfiqur said. We didnt expect this from such a mature player. We want him to have more impact for the team.The Bangladesh captains words were soothing, especially after such a heartbreaking finish for the home side. For all the running that Bangladesh have done in their first Test after almost 15 months, Mushfiqur has certainly taken a long-awaited upward step in his Test captaincy. Cheap Nike Chiefs Jerseys Chargers Jerseys China Wholesale Raiders Jerseys China Cowboys Jerseys China Cheap Giants Jerseys Hoodies Cheap Eagles Jerseys Free Shipping Cheap Nike Redskins Jerseys Lions Jerseys China Green Bay Packers Jerseys For Sale Wholesale Vikings Jerseys China Panthers Jerseys China Saints Jerseys China Cheap Buccaneers Jerseys Free Shipping Wholesale Cardinals Jerseys China Cheap Nike Rams Jerseys 49ers Jerseys China Wholesale Seahawks Jerseys China Cheap Nike Bears Jerseys Bills Jerseys China Cheap Nike Ravens Jerseys Cheap Falcons Jerseys Hoodies ' ' '