Afghanistan cricketers train in Kabul ahead of the ODI series against Pakistan
Amid the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, cricketing operations continue to be functioning. The Afghan cricketers are currently preparing for the limited-overs away series against Pakistan. The team are currently training in Kabul for the same.
Despite the chaos and bloodshed in Afghanistan, the Afghanistan team is focused on their preparations for the limited-overs series against Pakistan. The players are sweating it out in the nets ahead of the first-ever bilateral series against the Men in Green.
The two sides will clash in three ODIs from September 3. The series was initially supposed to take place in Sri Lanka. The authorities decided to shift the games to Pakistan. As a result, Fawad Chaudhry, the Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, announced that the Afghan cricketers would get visas for travelling to Pakistan.
The Taliban seized control of Afghanistan after the United States began to withdraw its armed forces from the country. The militant organization announced that following next Tuesday citizens will not have permission to leave the nation.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board revealed the team spirit remains high
The Afghanistan Cricket Board earlier brushed aside rumours about low morale amongst the players, insisting they are in high spirits. CEO Hamid Shinwari also revealed that the Taliban did not oppose the sport.
"The atmosphere in the camp was very spirited. We will send the team to Sri Lanka once the flight operations are resumed and for that, we are in contact with the authorities. Cricket was not an issue during the Taliban regime before and it will not be an issue now. I don't remember any incident caused by the Taliban over cricket," Shinwari said as quoted by Mirror.co.uk.
Afghanistan has also confirmed the team's participation in the T20 World Cup later this year in the UAE. The Asian cricketing nation has been one of the most promising teams in recent times and has the potential to defeat any top side in the competition.