Three Afghan cricketers who got killed ‘were invited at friend’s place for dinner’: ‘The place was attacked’
Three Afghanistan youngsters were killed in airstrikes after they returned from playing a friendly.
In what was a heart-wrenching incident, three club cricketers from Afghanistan - Kabeer Agha, Sibghatullah, and Haroon were killed in Urgun, Paktika province of Afghanistan, after returning from a friendly game in Sharana during an airstrike by Pakistan. The episode jolted Afghanistan’s cricket community and triggered the national team’s withdrawal from next month’s T20I tri-series in Pakistan.
Accounts compiled by Cricbuzz describe the players being invited to a small meal after the match. Some teammates, fatigued from the day’s cricket, stayed back. Those who went were caught when the location came under repeated strikes before nightfall.
An online panellist recalled some players saying they were too tired to join, while a former Afghan player said the attack unfolded in three waves. Verification on whether the incident involved Pakistan jets or a missile strike is still ongoing.
ACB mourns the death of the youngsters
Calling the deaths a heartbreaking loss, the ACB identified the victims and said others were injured too during the incident. The board followed up by pulling out of the Pakistan-hosted tri-series, scheduled for mid-November.
The ICC issued a formal statement saying it was deeply saddened and appalled by the deaths of three young cricketers, and that the attack had robbed families, communities, and the cricketing world of three bright talents. The ICC said it stands in solidarity with the ACB.
The BCCI also released a media advisory expressing deep sorrow and condolences and condemning the cowardly cross-border airstrikes in Paktika that killed the three players, adding that it stood with Afghanistan’s cricket community in its grief. The statement from BCCI read -
“BCCI stands is solidarity with the Afghanistan Cricket Board, the cricket fraternity, and the families of the departed players during this moment of profound grief and condemns the ghastly and unwarranted attack. The loss of innocent lives, particularly those of promising sportspersons, is deeply distressing and a matter of great concern.”
While attribution of the strikes to Pakistan has been clearly reported and asserted in ACB communications, the precise mode of the strike remains under verification in several reconstructions. What is not in dispute is the human toll; the three club cricketers who spent the day playing for the love of the game never made it to the meal that was meant to follow.
Following the incident, Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan condemned the act. Former Indian cricketers like Yuvraj Singh and Irfan Pathan also extended their condolences.
