Afghan cricketers killed during social gathering after playing friendly match

by Vijay Tagore • Last updated on

The ICC and the BCCI showed solidarity with Afghanistan and condemned the attack © Getty

The three Afghan cricketers, killed in Pakistan airstrikes on Saturday, had gone for dinner to a friend's house after playing a friendly game in nearby Sharana, the capital of the Paktika province. They died even before they could have their last supper. All club level players, the three were identified as Kabeer Agha, Sibghatullah, and Haroon.

Some friends were also supposed to join them for the meal but did not, reportedly because they were tired after the game. "Some of the players said they were too tired to join," said a panelist in an online discussion about the tragedy. It is still being verified whether the attack involved Pakistani jets or missiles. The place was struck in the evening, well before the darkness had set in.

"They had played a game earlier in the day and were later invited to a friend's place. Some of the players said they were too tired to join, so they stayed back, but a few others went. Among those who went, the host was injured, and three club-level Afghan cricketers were killed. The incident unfolded in three waves - the place was attacked once, followed by a second and then a third one," said a former Afghanistan player, who participated in the online debate on Saturday.

The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) said the cricketers were martyred. "In this heartbreaking incident, three players (Kabeer, Sibghatullah and Haroon) alongside five other fellow countrymen from Urgun District were martyred, and seven others were injured. The players had earlier traveled to Sharana, the capital of Paktika province, to participate in a friendly cricket match. After returning home to Urgun, they were targetted during a gathering," the ACB said in a statement.

An ACB official indicated there may be tournaments named after the cricketers. "For the time being, we have no such plans, but hopefully there will be tournaments named after these players to keep their memory alive," an ACB official, who took part in the discussion, was quoted as saying in Pashto.

The ACB immediately called off its participationin the tri-series the Pakistan Cricket Board is organising next month with Sri Lanka being the other side. The PCB said Zimbabwe has been brought in as the third team for the November 17-29 three-national series that is to be held in Rawalpindi and Lahore.

There was all-round condemnation of the attack. The ICC said it is saddened and appalled by the tragedy while the BCCI expressed sorrow. "The ICC strongly condemns this act of violence that has robbed families, communities, and the cricketing world of three bright talents whose only ambition was to play the sport they loved. The ICC stands in solidarity with the Afghanistan Cricket Board and echoes their grief," the world body, headed by Jay Shah, said.

The BCCI said, "(it) stands in solidarity with the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), the cricket fraternity, and the families of the departed players during this moment of profound grief and condemns this ghastly and unwarranted attack. The loss of innocent lives, particularly those of promising sportspersons, is deeply distressing and a matter of great concern."

The Urgun district of Paktika province in Afghanistan is along the Pakistan border. The two countries have been locked in an armed conflict for the past few days, with air strikes reported not just in the Paktika province but elsewhere in Kabul too. Officials from the two countries are to meet in Doha soon to negotiate a truce.

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