Daily Dawn Sports Desk, Dawn TV Report
Kabul: The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has said that three local Afghan cricketers were killed in an attack, after which Afghanistan has withdrawn from the tri-nation series with Pakistan and Sri Lanka next month.
The Afghan Cricket Board said that the players had gone from Orghun to participate in a friendly match in the city of Sharna in the eastern province of Paktika, bordering Pakistan.
Afghan officials said that Pakistan carried out air strikes on Afghan soil in which at least 10 people were killed.
The Afghan Cricket Board said that ‘after returning to Orghun, they (the cricketers) were targeted during a gathering.’ The board called it a ‘cowardly attack by the Pakistani administration.’
He named the three players as ‘Kabir, Subhatullah and Haroon’ and said that five more people were also killed in the attack.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board did not provide further details about the attack.
According to an X-post by Afghanistan’s official news agency Tolo News, sources in the cricket board told Tolo News that eight club-level players were killed in a Pakistani army bombardment in Paktika, while four others were injured.
The players were returning to Arghun district after finishing their match in Sharna, the capital of Paktika, when they were targeted in the bombardment.
Afghan national cricket team player Mohammad Nabi said in a post on social media that ‘this incident is a tragedy not only for Paktika but for the entire Afghan cricket family and nation.’
Player Arshad Khan wrote in a post on X-account, ‘Deeply saddened and regretted the deaths of Afghan civilians in the recent Pakistani airstrikes. This is a tragic incident in which women, children and young cricketers who dreamed of representing their country on the world stage lost their lives.
He said that in response to the loss of precious and innocent lives, I welcome the decision of the Afghanistan Cricket Board to withdraw from the upcoming matches against Pakistan.
‘In this difficult time, I stand with my people; our national honor and dignity come before everything.’
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