Last Updated:
PCB will proceed with the November tri-series in Rawalpindi and Lahore despite ACB’s withdrawal after an alleged Pakistani airstrike killed Afghan cricketers.
PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi (Picture Credit: AP)
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has said its home tri-series in November will go ahead as planned despite the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) pulling out. The ACB withdrew from the series, scheduled for November 17–29 in Rawalpindi and Lahore, after alleging that three young Afghan cricketers and five civilians were killed in a Pakistani airstrike in Urgun District, amid ongoing military conflict between the former allies.
According to news agency PTI, which quoted a senior PCB official, the board is already looking at other options to replace Afghanistan. Their options include associate member teams, including Nepal and the UAE, but their priority is to get a Test-playing nation to participate in the tri-series. The third member of the series, Sri Lanka, is set to remain.
“The Tri-Series will progress as scheduled even after Afghanistan’s withdrawal. We are looking at a replacement team and once finalised, the announcement will be made. The Tri-Series features a third team in Sri Lanka so it is on from 17th November,” he said.
ACB’s decision came amid escalating tensions between the neighboring nations. Despite a recent 48-hour ceasefire, Afghanistan’s Taliban government accused Pakistan of violating the truce with renewed attacks, deepening the rift between the two sides.
In a statement, the ACB expressed “deep sorrow and grief” over the deaths of the young players — Kabeer, Sibghatullah, and Haroon — and called the assault a “cowardly attack carried out by the Pakistani regime.” The players had returned to Urgun after a friendly match in Paktika Province when the alleged airstrike occurred.
Calling the tragedy a “great loss” for Afghanistan’s sporting community, the board said its withdrawal was both a mark of respect for the victims and a protest against the violence.
The now-canceled tri-series would have marked Afghanistan’s first participation in a multi-team tournament on Pakistani soil, following another tri-series between the same sides in the UAE earlier this year.
October 18, 2025, 13:39 IST
Read More
