Sayed Naseem Sadaat, spokesperson for the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), stated on Tuesday, October 21, that there is clear evidence, including video footage, indicating Pakistan was involved for the attack that murdered three local cricketers in Afghanistan’s Urgun area.
Following the incident last week, the ACB pulled the national team out of next month’s Tri-Nation T20I Series in Pakistan.
Sadaat’s confession comes just days after the Pakistani government denied reports that the players were murdered in an airstrike.
“We got evidence from all the cricket fraternity and all the people around the world would have definitely watched our video report on the incident that was made by our media team. So, we got clear evidence that the attack was done by a Pakistani state. After the incident, the management of the Afghanistan Cricket Board decided to cancel Afghanistan’s participation in the tri-series that was going to be hosted by Pakistan,” Sadaat said as quoted by Hindustan Times.
Earlier, on Friday, October 17, in a post on X, the ACB stated that the attack had claimed several lives, including three local cricketers, Kabeer, Sibghatullah, and Haroon, who were on their way home after playing a friendly match in Sharana, the capital of Paktika province.
“The ACB considers this a great loss for Afghanistan’s sports community, its athletes, and the cricketing family,” it said in a statement.
Sadaat not only strongly condemned Pakistan’s airstrike but also called on all other cricket boards to denounce the attack. He emphasised that cricket is a symbol of peace and should remain untouched by war, urging that both the players and the sport be protected from the impacts of conflict.
“We call upon all the cricket boards to condemn such barbaric attacks because cricket is a game that carries the message of peace. Cricketers are peace ambassadors and they should stay away from the war. War should not be interfered with in sports. So, we call upon all the cricket fraternity and boards to condemn such attacks and keep cricket away from war,” said Sadaat.
In the aftermath of the incident, both the ICC and BCCI expressed their solidarity with the ACB. Following Afghanistan’s withdrawal from the tri-series, Zimbabwe accepted the invitation to participate as the third team in the contest, alongside Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
The series is scheduled to begin on November 17, with the home team facing Zimbabwe in Rawalpindi, which will also host the second match between Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. The action will then move to Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium, which will stage the remaining five matches, including the final on November 29.
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