Afghanistan withdraw from Pakistan tri-series following cross-border incident involving both the countries.
Afghanistan has decided not to play in the tri-series against Pakistan next month after three local cricket players were killed in a cross-border attack in the Urgun area.
The PCB organised the T20I series between Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka last month. It was set to take place in Rawalpindi and Lahore from November 17 to 29.
The ACB stated in a post on X that the attack had taken the lives of multiple people, including three local cricket players who had been on their way home from a “friendly” match in Sharana, the provincial capital of Paktika.
“The ACB considers this a great loss for Afghanistan’s sports community, its athletes, and the cricketing family,” the statement said.
Describing it as a “tragic incident”, the ACB said that “as a gesture of respect to the victims” it was “decided to withdraw from participating in the upcoming Tri-Nation T20I Series.”
After their encounter in August before the Asia Cup, the tournament would have been the second tri-series between Afghanistan and Pakistan this year. But it was supposed to be their first time in Pakistan.
Afghanistan had already participated in the Champions Trophy earlier this year and the 2023 Asia Cup in the country without facing the host country.
In the competition, Pakistan and Afghanistan were supposed to face each other twice: on November 17 for the series opener and again on November 23. The tri-series was completed at a time when Pakistan and Afghanistan’s diplomatic ties were already beginning to deteriorate.