Cricket team named ‘Taliban’ stokes controversy at tournament in Rajasthan, organisers remove side
Controversy erupted during a local cricket tournament in Rajasthan, after a team named "Taliban" participated in the event. The Taliban is currently in the news following its takeover of Afghanistan.
According to media reports, the cricket tournament in question has been taking place in the Bhaniyana village in Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer district. The organizers of the tournament claimed that the team with the name "Taliban" was included by mistake and has been removed from the event.
A member of the organising group was quoted as telling Times Now that the side with the controversial name was ousted from the tournament after the first match. A complete ban has also been imposed on the team.
The person added that the mistake of including the team with the name "Taliban" occurred due to online scoring. He offered an apology on behalf of the organizers and also assured that such a mistake would not be repeated in the future.
Taliban has promised to support Afghanistan cricket
Amid uncertainty, the Taliban assured that they will support Afghanistan cricket. Anas Haqqani, a member of the Taliban's political office and negotiating team, made the statement after meeting members of the Afghanistan cricket team a couple of days ago.
The meeting was attended by captain Hashmatullah Shahidi, former cricket board selection committee chairman Asadullah and Noor Ali Zadran. During the interaction, Haqqani assured that cricketers' problems in Afghanistan will be assessed swiftly. Earlier, members of the Taliban also met Asghar Stanikzai and former captain Naworoz Mangal in Kabul.
Following the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, star cricketers from the country expressed concern over the development. Leg-spinner Rashid Khan took to Twitter and urged for help. He wrote:
“Dear World Leaders! My country is in chaos, thousand of innocent people, including children & women, get martyred everyday, houses & properties being destructed.Thousand families displaced.. Don’t leave us in chaos. Stop killing Afghans & destroying Afghanistan. We want peace.”
All-rounder Mohammad Nabi also appealed for support. He tweeted:
“As an Afghan, I bleed to see where my beloved country is today. Afghanistan descends into Chaos and there has been a substantial rise in calamity and tragedy and is currently in humanitarian crisis. Families are forced to leave their homes behind and head to Kabul with an unknown future, as their homes are being seized. I appeal to the leaders of the world; please don’t let Afghanistan go into chaos. We need your Support. We want Peace. #PeaceforAfghanistan #FreedomforAfghanistan #StopKillingAfghans.”
In line with the latest developments, the Afghanistan-Pakistan ODI series has been postponed until next year due to logistical challenges. No commercial flights are taking off from Kabul following the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan.
The series was to be held in early September 2021 in Sri Lanka, but the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday confirmed that the Afghanistan Cricket Board had requested the series be postponed.