We Are Confident That Pakistan series Will Happen: Afghanistan Cricket Board

Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) is confident in playing the limited-overs series against Pakistan in Sri Lanka next month despite the political situation being worst in their country.

Military organisation Taliban seized control in Afghanistan after their president Ashraf Ghani fled away from the country.

We are focussing on the Pakistan series: Afghanistan Cricket Board

Tensions have grown in the country with the citizens desperate to leave a flooded Kabul international airport. Amid the turmoil in Afghanistan, their national cricket board is focusing on playing against Pakistan in the white-ball bilateral series, which was shifted from the United Arab Emirates to Sri Lanka.

In case if the series does not proceed further due to uncertain reasons, then the board will advance the dates of their domestic T20 league.

“For the moment we are focusing on the Pakistan series. We are confident it will happen. If it does not, due to reasons not relevant to us, we could advance the dates of Shpageeza Cricket League ( domestic T20 league),” ACB spokesperson Hikmat Hasan said, as reported by Cricbuzz. 

“The squad (for the Pakistan series) is already out. The coaches trained the players in Kabul for one month. We are well prepared for the matches in Sri Lanka and the Twenty20 World Cup in UAE. Our head coach Lance Klusener was in Kabul till the Eid. We have recruited Shaun Tait as bowling coach and he will be joining the squad in Sri Lanka,” Hikmat further added.

Afghanistan women’s national team future in concern

Afghanistan attained full membership of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2017 after their women’s national team was formed. But with the ongoing fiasco in the country, the future of the Afghanistan women’s team is at stake.

Former Australia women’s team captain Lisa Sthalekar, who is also a member of the ICC Women’s Cricket Committee, expressed her concerns over  Afghanistan women’s team.

“I have not heard from the ICC on what is happening as far as women’s cricket in Afghanistan, but personally I am concerned about what is happening there,” Sthalekar said.

In 2020, 25 female players from Afghanistan were awarded central contracts for the first time, which cleared the doubts on the formation of a national women’s team and there were skill-based camps organised to prepare them.

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