Former Afghanistan cricketer, chief selector and coach Asadullah Khan has condemned the Pakistani airstrikes which killed three aspiring cricketers in Paktika last month, saying that the cricketers and cricket had nothing to do with the political situation between the two countries. He also hailed the role of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Indian Premier League (IPL) in raising the quality of Afghanistan cricket.
Asadullah, now also a director of the Gulf Cup, a youth, school-level cricket tournament taking place in Sharjah from November 15 onwards, was speaking to ANI in an interview.
Speaking on Pakistani airstrikes which killed three aspiring young cricketers, Asadullah said, “For any team or country, not only in cricket, it is a matter of grief that a common man is killed. We are related to cricket, and we do not have anything to do with this (politics and war). So when that happens, it is really hurtful”.
“Attacking any country and its respect is not a good thing, no nation can tolerate this or will accept it. So the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) decision (to opt out of tri-nation series in Pakistan) was a good decision,” he added.
The Pakistani attacks in Paktika Province of Afghanistan have been widely condemned by the cricket fraternity, including prominent Afghan cricketers like Rashid Khan. The ACB also withdrew from the upcoming Tri-Nation T20I Series involving Pakistan and Sri Lanka in protest, with Zimbabwe now being the third team in the series, which will be held in Pakistan.
After the attack, the ACB confirmed that the local, up-and-coming players, identified as Kabeer, Sibghatullah, and Haroon, were among eight people killed in the airstrike. Seven others were reportedly injured.The three players had earlier travelled to Sharana, the capital of Paktika province, to participate in a friendly cricket match. After returning home to Urgun, they were targeted during a gathering. In its statement, the Afghanistan board described the attack as “a cowardly act carried out by the Pakistani regime.”
On the support BCCI has given to Afghanistan Cricket, Asadullah says that this relationship has been existing since a long time and support started at a basic level when Afghanistan was striving to be a full-member in the International Cricket Council (ICC) and still continues even when Afghanistan has made strides in world cricket, with a solid 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup and a semifinals finish in 2024 T20 World Cup.
“India has supported our cricket since a long time. One time of support is at the basic level. So our team is above that basic level and is competing with the international full members. The quality of players goes up with this support, as you face the world’s best, get experience, get the support of best coaches, facilities and some financial solution too,” he said.
“We used Greater Noida and Lucknow as a home ground. We played matches in Mumbai. We played matches in different grounds. Such facilities, no other associate member could get at that time. BCCI gave us that support and we became a full member and the support still continues,” he added.
He also credited the Indian Premier League (IPL) for growth of Afghanistan Cricket.
“We have players playing in the IPL. The world’s number one T20I all rounder is from Afghanistan, so is the world number one spinner (Azmatullah Omarzai and Rashid Khan). Even our batters like Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran are also in the top 10 (Zadran is second-ranked ODI batter as per ICC Rankings). So their link goes straight to the IPL, the world’s best league, the best coaches and the quality of cricket and facilities in that tournament,” he added.
“Our cricket has improved a lot. Because when you are playing with the best players in the world, you are using the best facilities, it definitely affects the team. The team takes it positively and moves forward,” he concluded.
