By Staff Reporter
Dubai: Afghanistan has pulled out of next month’s T20 tri-nation series with Pakistan and Sri Lanka following deadly airstrikes by Pakistan that killed three Afghan cricketers in Paktika province. The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) announced its withdrawal on Friday, calling the attack “cowardly and inhumane.”
The series was set to be played in Lahore and Rawalpindi from November 5 to 29. However, the ACB said it could not participate “as a gesture of respect to the victims” and in solidarity with the grieving families.
ACB mourns the loss of young cricketers
In a statement shared on social media, the ACB identified the slain players as Kabeer, Sibghatullah, and Haroon, all from Urgun District in Paktika Province.
“The Afghanistan Cricket Board expresses its deepest sorrow and grief over the tragic martyrdom of the brave cricketers from Urgun District in Paktika Province, who were targeted this evening in a cowardly attack carried out by the Pakistani regime,” the statement read.
According to the ACB, the players had travelled to Sharana, the provincial capital, to take part in a friendly cricket match. They were attacked after returning home to Urgun. Alongside the three cricketers, five other civilians were killed and seven more were injured in the strike.
“The ACB considers this a great loss for Afghanistan’s sports community, its athletes, and the cricketing family,” the board added, extending condolences to the families of the victims.
Statement of Condolence
The Afghanistan Cricket Board expresses its deepest sorrow and grief over the tragic martyrdom of the brave cricketers from Urgun District in Paktika Province, who were targeted this evening in a cowardly attack carried out by the Pakistani regime.
Decision to withdraw from series
The board said the withdrawal from the upcoming tri-series was a mark of mourning and defiance.
“In response to this tragic incident and as a gesture of respect to the victims, the Afghanistan Cricket Board has decided to withdraw from participating in the upcoming Tri-Nation T20I Series involving Pakistan,” it said.
Afghanistan’s T20 captain Rashid Khan strongly condemned the airstrikes, describing them as “immoral and barbaric.”
“I am deeply saddened by the loss of civilian lives in the recent Pakistani aerial strikes on Afghanistan. It is absolutely immoral and barbaric to target civilians. These unjust and unlawful actions represent a grave violation of human rights,” he posted on X, backing the ACB’s decision to withdraw.
Former captain Mohammad Nabi and pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi also condemned the killings, calling them a “tragedy for the entire Afghan cricket family” and an “unforgivable crime.”
