Afghanistan Cricket Board’s executive director Hamid Shinwari was removed from the board by the Taliban. Taliban have sacked the executive director of Afghanistan’s cricket board.
Hamid Shinwari posted on his official Facebook page on Monday that he had been fired by Anas Haqqani, the younger brother of the Taliban’s new Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani. He said he was not given any reason for his dismissal, but was told he would be replaced by Naseebullah Haqqani.
Afghanistan Cricket Board’s Hamid Shinwari Fired And Naseebullah Haqqani Appointed As The New Executive Director
It isn’t clear if the new ACB chief is a relative of Sirajuddin Haqqani, who is sought by the FBI for questioning in connection with several high-profile attacks on Kabul during the Taliban’s 20-year old war with successive US-backed governments. The official Facebook page of the ACB has also announced the appointment of Naseebullah Haqqani (Naseeb Khan) as the new Chief Executive Director (CEO).
The Taliban’s order which banned women from sports – including cricket – has caused an international backlash. Cricket Australia last week threatened to cancel a match with Afghanistan’s cricket team to protest the banning of women from sports in Afghanistan. The official Facebook page of the Afghanistan Cricket Board also announced Naseebullah Haqqani as the new executive director.
Afghanistan’s Cricket Future Thrown Into Jeopardy After Taliban Takeover
Soon after forming an interim government, the Taliban banned women from playing cricket or any other sports, casting doubts over Afghanistan men’s team Test status. As per ICC rules, all Test-playing nations must have a women’s team as well. Cricket Australia (CA) said that its men’s team’s season-opening Test against Afghanistan, slated to start on November 27 in Hobart, will be scrapped due if the Taliban doesn’t allow women in sports.
Amid political uncertainties in the Asian nation, there were suspicions about the future of Afghan cricket. The Asian side is scheduled to play Australia in a solitary Test match in November, in what could be their first Test against one of the strongest nations in the world at Blundstone Arena in Hobart. The match will be played between November 27 to December 1 in Hobart.
Recently, Afghanistan’s three-match ODI series against Pakistan, which was due to get underway in Sri Lanka on Friday was postponed indefinitely as the war-torn country descended into chaos last month. The terror group took over Kabul on August 15 and the country’s democratically government collapsed.
The return of the militant group Taliban has sparked fear among Afghan citizens and the international community, reviving memories of the terror group’s previous stint in power. During the first rule, the Taliban imposed its harsh interpretation of Islamic law. Most forms of entertainment were banned – including many sports – and stadiums posed as public execution venues. Sports the Taliban allowed were strictly controlled and were for only for men to play and watch.
Afghanistan played its first test match in 2018, becoming the 12th test nation. Since then, they have played 6 test matches, compiling a record of 3 wins and 3 defeats. Afghanistan’s proposed series against Pakistan in Sri Lanka was recently postponed due to travel complications, with no commercial flights currently coming in or out of Kabul’s international airport.
Afghanistan Cricket Board has made it clear that the team will be ready for action when the 2021 T20 World Cup gets underway in Dubai. With an eye on the current turmoil in the Asian country, questions have been raised on whether the team will be ready to participate in the upcoming T20 World Cup.