Sport
Afghanistan withdraws from cricket series with Pakistan after three players killed in airstrikes
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has announced that it is withdrawing from the upcoming Tri-Nation T20 International Series involving Pakistan, following the killing of three Afghan cricketers in what it described as a “cowardly attack carried out by the Pakistani regime.”
According to an ACB statement, the incident occurred in Urgun District of Paktika Province, where three players — Kabeer, Sibghatullah, and Haroon — along with five other civilians were killed, and seven others injured in airstrikes on Friday evening. The players had earlier traveled to Sharana, the provincial capital, to participate in a friendly cricket match and were targeted upon their return home.
Calling the attack a “great loss for Afghanistan’s sporting community,” the ACB expressed its “deepest sorrow and grief” over the deaths and extended condolences to the bereaved families and the people of Paktika.
“As a gesture of respect to the victims,” the board said, Afghanistan will not participate in the Tri-Nation T20I Series that was scheduled for late November and included Pakistan.