Afghanistan withdraws from next month’s Tri-Series with Pakistan and Sri Lanka after a deadly Pakistani airstrike in Paktika kills three Afghan cricketers, escalating border tensions and sparking national outrage.
WEBDESK | October 18, 2025 — By Imran Malik
Afghanistan has pulled out of next month’s Tri-Nation Cricket Series with Pakistan and Sri Lanka following a deadly airstrike that killed three local cricketers in eastern Paktika province near the Pakistan border.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) confirmed on Friday that the players — Kabeer, Sibghatullah, and Haroon — were returning home to Urgun after participating in a friendly match in Sharana when they were targeted “during a gathering.”
In a statement, the ACB condemned the incident, calling it a devastating loss for the nation’s sporting community. The board announced its decision to withdraw from the Tri-Series “as a gesture of respect to the victims and solidarity with their families.”
According to Afghan officials quoted by AFP, Pakistan launched airstrikes inside Afghanistan late Friday, breaking a fragile two-day ceasefire and killing at least ten people, including civilians and the three players. Twelve others were reported injured, among them two children.
A senior Taliban official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “Pakistan has broken the ceasefire and bombed three locations in Paktika. Afghanistan will retaliate.”
This has sparked outrage across Afghanistan’s cricketing circles. Fast bowler Fazalhaq Farooqi called the killings “a heinous, unforgivable crime”, while veteran all-rounder Mohammad Nabi mourned the loss as “a tragedy for the entire Afghan cricket family and the nation.”
Images shared by Reuters showed smoke billowing from the targeted area, reportedly a Taliban border post hit by a Pakistani drone strike.
The withdrawal marks a sharp escalation of tensions between the two cricketing neighbors, pushing sports diplomacy into crisis amid rising border hostilities.
