Nabi will lead his team out against the ACT Comets at Manuka Oval on Friday, in the first of two one-day games as part of the war-torn country's Cricket World Cup preparations; the second game is on Sunday.

Like many of his teammates, Nabi grew up outside Afghanistan, after his parents fled the war against the Soviet Union to Peshawar, on the border of neighbouring Pakistan.

It was there he learnt cricket, playing with local children and using a battered tennis ball.

Not surprisingly, life was tough in the refugee camp – living in tents without clean water and hardly any food. But slowly things improved for the now 29-year-old and they moved into housing in Peshawar, before eventually moving back to his parents' native Afghanistan.

"The refugee camps are not so good – there is no clean water, no proper house to live, it's a quite tough life at that time ... but we have problems back home in Afghanistan," Nabi said.

"There's nothing good to eat, no good drinking water as well, and no good clothes or shoes, quite difficult life at that time, but after a few years we came out of the refugee camp."

Now he is one of 40 contracted Afghanistan players. While their facilities are not the best – Afghanistan coach Andy Moles described the pitches as rolled mud – they can earn a decent living to support themselves and their families.

The cricket team is seen as a symbol of hope in a country that has been ravaged by war on and off for the past 40 years. Their effort to qualify for February's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand was reason enough to celebrate.

Despite his humble beginnings, Nabi is loved back home.

"The only place I've seen similar behaviour is in India ... the families and communities come out in their droves to support them, they idolise them," Moles said.

"These guys are exactly the same, obviously they don't have the rich pickings that the Indians have, but as far as their countrymen being proud of them, they're up there.

"These guys are idolised, demi-gods almost. Mohammad, if he goes out in the streets of Kabul, everyone knows him."

While Afghanistan is in Canberra to become familiar with the conditions at Manuka, Moles has been there before.

He was coach of the New Zealand side that lost to the Prime Minister's XI in 2009. Moles has also coached Kenya and Scotland. He was signed on as the Afghanistan batting coach, but got the top job following the resignation of Kabir Khan earlier this month.

This trip to Australasia is to help them get used to local conditions before the World Cup; Afghanistan play Bangladesh at Manuka on February 18 in the first of six pool games.

While most of his team had tough upbringings, Moles said that could be an advantage.

"They're very tough and hard and they've been through a lot of problems in their short times as young men, and that can be good thing," he said.

"I've told them I'd like them to bring their fighting qualities that they have and think about the difficulties of the people back home, because cricket back home is massive, so any sort of success, however little it may be, will be an uplift for the communities back home."

CRICKET WORLD CUP IN CANBERRA

February 18: Bangladesh v Afghanistan

February 24: West Indies v Zimbabwe

March 3: South Africa v Ireland