He was separated from his parents in the escape and has not been able to find them since. He came to Frankfurt, where another brother was already living, and started looking for somewhere he could play cricket.

I feel better when I play cricket, he says. It clears my mind, and I forget about other problems.

The club he joined, MSC Frankfurt, trains at a football ground in the forest on the outskirts of the city. The nets are set up in a corner of the field, behind the goal posts. Its a far cry from Lords but Afghan cricket made it to Test status from humbler beginnings.

The team is a mix of Afghans, Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis. They train with an easy camaraderie, the political differences of their countries cast aside. Here there are no politics, only people, Mr Ashraf says.

The others are wearing the blue and yellow strip of MSC Frankfurt, but Mr Ashraf is training in his Germany shirt of black, red and gold.

Mr Ashraf plays for Germany under the same rule that allows Jofra Archer to play for England. In cricket, you can play for a national side if you have lived in the country for three years.

When I told the teachers at school I was going to play for the German cricket team, their first response was: What, Germany has a cricket team? Mr Ashraf laughs.

While cricket is one of Germanys fastest growing sports, the mens game is dominated by the immigrant community.

More here:

British expat leads unexpected rise of cricket in Germany - with the help of Afghan refugees - Telegraph.co.uk