Afghanistan has pulled out of the upcoming tri-nation cricket series with Pakistan and Sri Lanka, following the killing of three local cricketers in an attack in eastern Paktika province, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) announced on Friday.
The ACB said the victims — identified as Kabeer, Sibghatullah, and Haroon — were among several players who had travelled from Urgun to Sharana, near the Pakistan border, for a friendly match. According to the board, they were attacked after returning home, in what it described as “a cowardly attack carried out by the Pakistani regime.”
The incident also claimed five other lives. The ACB expressed deep sorrow, calling the killings “a great loss for Afghanistan’s sports community, its athletes, and the cricketing family.”
In solidarity with the victims and their families, the board said it had decided to withdraw from next month’s tri-nation series “as a gesture of respect to the victims.”
Afghan international cricketer Fazalhaq Farooqi condemned the attack, calling it “a heinous, unforgivable crime,” while veteran player Mohammad Nabi said the tragedy was “not only a loss for Paktika but for the entire Afghan cricket family and the nation as a whole.”
