Afghanistan withdraw from Pakistan T20 series in light of cross-border tensions

The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has withdrawn from the November T20 tri-series in Pakistan, which also features Sri Lanka, after the death of three local cricketers. The ACB has said the deaths were due to military strikes amid ongoing cross-border tensions between the two nations. In a statement, the board said: “The ACB considers this a great loss for Afghanistan’s sports community, its athletes, and the cricketing family.

“In response to this tragic incident and as a gesture of respect to the victims, the Afghanistan Cricket Board has decided to withdraw from participating in the upcoming tri-nation T20I series.”

The International Cricket Council (ICC) condemned the attack, saying it stands in solidarity with the ACB and echoes their grief: “The ICC is deeply saddened and appalled by the tragic deaths of three young and promising Afghan cricketers – Kabeer Agha, Sibghatullah, and Haroon – who lost their lives in a recent airstrike in Afghanistan’s Paktika province.”

The strike hit a home in the Urgon district of Paktika province (which borders Pakistan), where the players were eating dinner after a match

“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 strike hit a home in the Urgon district of Paktika province (which borders Pakistan), where the players were eating dinner after a match, as reported by the BBC. Eight people were killed, the ACB said. Pakistan said it had targeted Afghan militants in the air strike and that at least 70 combatants had been killed.

Pakistan and Afghanistan, on the 17th of October, extended a 48-hour truce amid peace talks in Doha, sources said, as they seek to resolve the recent border clashes that have killed dozens in the worst violence between the nations since the Taliban seized power in Kabul in 2021.

The fierce fighting between the one-time allies and Pakistani airstrikes across their contested 2,600km (1,615 miles) frontier were triggered after Islamabad demanded Kabul rein in militants who stepped up attacks in Pakistan, saying they operated from havens in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan were poised to play Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the tri-series between November 17 and 29, with two league-stage games scheduled between Afghanistan and Pakistan

Pakistan and India, who also share a tense political relationship, have not played a bilateral cricket series since 2012, meeting only in multi-nation tournaments since then. In the most recent tournament face-off, the Indian team refused to shake hands with the Pakistan team in their first match in the 2025 Asia Cup, causing the next game of the tournament between the two to be delayed by an hour, with the Pakistan Cricket Board temporarily refusing to allow the team to play and a complaint being lodged by Pakistan to organisers and doubts surrounding their continuation in the competition.

Afghanistan were poised to play Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the tri-series between November 17 and 29, with two league-stage games scheduled between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The series was due to take place in Rawalpindi and Lahore, with the final taking place in Pakistan’s capital.

Zimbabwe have now replaced Afghanistan for the tri-series event.