The Afghanistan Cricket Board has withdrawn from the upcoming tri-nation T20 series in Pakistan after three local cricketers were killed in a cross-border attack.
Kabul | By Taib Khatizwal
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) announced on Sunday that the national team will not participate in the upcoming tri-nation Twenty20 series scheduled in Pakistan later this November, following a deadly attack that claimed the lives of Afghan players in Paktika province.
According to the ACB, eight people, including three local cricketers named Kabir, Sighbatullah, and Haroon, were killed, and seven others were wounded when a cross-border strike from Pakistani forces hit the Argun district of Paktika shortly after a friendly cricket match.
“This tragic incident is a great loss for Afghanistan’s sports community,” the ACB said in a statement, expressing “deep sorrow and solidarity” with the families of the victims and the people of Paktika.
In response, the board said it would cancel Afghanistan’s participation in the three-nation series involving Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan, a decision made “to honor the memory of the martyred players.”
The statement added prayers for the victims and called the attack an “unprovoked act of aggression” that targeted young athletes returning from a peaceful sporting event.
The planned tri-nation T20 series was set to take place in Pakistan in late November, marking the teams’ final preparation before next year’s ICC events. Afghanistan and Pakistan have shared a tense cricketing relationship that often mirrors the political and security strains between the two neighbors.
The ACB’s decision underscores growing outrage inside Afghanistan following cross-border shelling incidents, with sporting bodies now joining calls for accountability.