Loads of promises, a few cups of tea and eventually an instance of humiliating neglect. This is all two top Afghan cricket officials have managed to lay their hands on during their visit to India.

The bouquet of promises came expectedly from Indian cricket chief Jagmohan Dalmiya, the cups tea from an obdurate cricket bureaucracy and the final humiliation from the gatekeepers of Eden Gardens stadium.

For Afghanistan Cricket Federation executive vice-president Allah Hadat Noori and administrator Raees Khan Jaaji, their trip to India, which held much promise for the war-ravaged nation, turned out to be an eye-opener.

"We didn't expect to be turned away, as we had been invited here," a hurt Noori told rediff.com, reminiscing Wednesday's humiliation when they were turned away by the guards of Eden Gardens.

Noori and Jaaji had earlier met Dalmiya, who "promised all possible help" for development of cricket in Afghanistan.

"We have stayed on here to get a first hand experience of everything, the infrastructure and the standard of the game," Noori said on Friday.

But the burly Afghan, who represented his country as a fast bowler, regrets the decision to stay on.

"We didn't come here uninvited, but again we aren't being sponsored either. So, with our limited resources we wanted to make the most of the trip and, unfortunately, it hasn't gone off that well."

Authorities of the Cricket Association of Bengal, which manages Eden Gardens, say they are sorry, but won't take the blame because "the ACF didn't notify us about the visit".

The two Afghans, who wanted to meet CAB officials, went around the midtown Maidan area, where the city's leading clubs are located. But, this being the football season and the monsoon in full swing, there isn't much cricket happening.

Noori and Jaaji have been taking extensive notes not only of their discussions so far with Indian cricket officials, but of "anything and everything we are seeing about sports, particularly cricket".

The two eventually managed to meet India captain Sourav Ganguly at the Eden Gardens on Thursday.

"He was very enthusiastic about starting cricket in our country. He gave us the idea of holding a coupe of exhibition matches with the India senior team as this would give the Afghan team both exposure and some sponsor," Noori said.

"We have sent the idea to Mr. Dalmiya. A BCCI delegation could come to Kabul soon to take stock of the situation there and decide what needs to be done for the game," Noori said.

The two had also met BCCI strongman Rajiv Shukla and Amrit Mathur in Delhi and asked for help.

"We have not yet got a sponsor, but they [Shukla and Mathur] have promised to help," the ACF officials said.

The Afghan national team could come to India on a tour in October, Noori said, adding that the ACF was recently made an associate member of the Asian Cricket Foundation.

Noori and Jaaji leave for Kabul on Saturday.