Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan Showers Praises On Afghanistan's Rise In International Cricket
Published - 29 Jul 2021, 07:55 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:50 AM
Imran Khan, former Pakistan captain and the current Prime Minister, has lauded the Afghanistan cricket team for their outstanding rise in international cricket. In the past decade, Afghanistan has impressed everyone, especially in the shortest format with their talented players now sought-after commodities in franchises leagues around the world.
Their meteoric rise in T20 cricket is indicated by the fact that Afghanistan have qualified for the Super 12s of this year’s T20 World Cup, while Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will have to play in a qualifying tournament ahead of the World Cup.
Imran Khan, who captained Pakistan to the 1992 World Cup, was noted showering praise on the neighboring nation’s cricket team. During a Q&A session with a delegation of Pak-Afghan Youth Forum (PAYF), which called on him at the PM Office, Imran Khan was asked about his views on Afghanistan’s recent surge in international cricket.
“The position at which Afghanistan stands at the moment in cricket was realised by other countries in 70 years,” he said.
He also pointed out that the Afghan refugees in Pakistan learned the game there. Last year, Imran Khan, who had represented his country in 88 Tests and 175 ODIs, visited Kabul visit in November 2020. He there met the home cricket team and was gifted a signed bat.
Historic Afghanistan-Pakistan maiden ODI series shifted to Sri Lanka from UAE due to IPL
The three-match ODI series between Afghanistan and Pakistan has been shifted to Hambantota in Sri Lanka instead of in the UAE because of the IPL 2021. The historic ODI series, which would be the first bilateral series between the two nations is scheduled to be played between September 1 and 5.
Afghanistan have previously played four matches against Pakistan – two in Asia Cups, one in the 2019 World Cup, and a one-off ODI in 2012 – but have never beaten them.
