Afghanistan withdraws from Pakistan tri-series after airstrike kills three cricketers

Dubai: The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) announced late on Friday that it is withdrawing from the T20I tri-nation series scheduled to be held in Pakistan next month. The decision came after the board claimed that three local cricketers were killed in airstrikes allegedly carried out by Pakistan in Afghanistan’s Paktika province.

According to Dawn, the series — which was to feature Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka — was planned for November 17 to 29 in Lahore and Rawalpindi.

In a post on X, the ACB identified the slain players as Kabeer, Sibghatullah, and Haroon, all from the Urgun district of Paktika. The board said the players had travelled to Sharana to take part in a friendly cricket match before returning home, where they were reportedly caught in the strike.

“The ACB considers this a great loss for Afghanistan’s sports community, its athletes, and the cricketing family,” the statement said, adding that the withdrawal from the tournament was a “gesture of respect to the victims.”

While Pakistan’s government and military did not release an official statement, security sources told Dawn that the strikes were aimed at hideouts of the outlawed Hafiz Gul Bahadur group in the Angoor Adda area and Afghanistan’s Urgun and Barmal districts. The sources claimed “precision strikes” killed several militants.

The operation reportedly followed a deadly attack on a military installation in North Waziristan and came just hours after a temporary ceasefire between Islamabad and Kabul was extended.

Afghanistan’s star spinner Rashid Khan expressed support for the board’s decision, calling it a “principled stand” following the loss of civilian lives.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Cricket Board spokesperson Amir Mir told Dawn.com that the tri-series would go ahead as planned, and a replacement team for Afghanistan would be announced soon.