Azizullah Fazli, the new chairman of the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) confirmed that the ACB is planning a preparatory camp for the national team in a foreign country.
Soon after the Taliban took over the reins of Afghanistan, the country’s premier cricketers — Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi — took to Twitter seeking support from the world leaders. The cricketers made the emotional appeal from the United Kingdom, where they were playing for their respective franchises in the inaugural ‘The Hundred’ tournament.
Azizullah Fazli Assured Afghanistan Cricketers That The Country Is Secure
Azizullah Fazli, the new chairman of the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), however, affirmed that they spoke to these cricketers and gave them assurance that the country is safe.
“We have spoken to those players who were worried about the political situation in Afghanistan. We have assured them regarding the current situation and that the country is secure. Now, they are in a good mood,”Azizullah Fazli told this daily in a reply to a questionnaire sent to him on Tuesday.
He also confirmed that the ACB is planning a preparatory camp for the national team in a foreign country.
“We will have a camp for the Afghanistan cricket team in a foreign country to ensure they will be well prepared for the T20 World Cup commencing in October in UAE and Oman,” said Azizullah Fazli
The political upheaval in the country also led to speculations over Afghanistan cricketers’ participation in the Indian Premier League resuming next month. The ACB chairman assured that their cricketers will participate in the IPL as usual. Rashid Khan, Mohammed Nabi, and Mujeeb-ur Rahman are some of the Afghanistan players who are regular features in IPL teams.
Rashid Khan is one of the most sought-after T20 freelancers in world cricket currently. Both Mohammed Nabi and Rashid Khan have urged the world leaders to intervene as Afghanistan faces its worst socio-political crisis in the last two decades.
Azizullah Fazli Asserted Afghanistan And Pakistan Series Will Be Played In 2022
Afghanistan was scheduled to play their first bilateral series against Pakistan in Hambantota, Sri Lanka starting next month. The three-match ODI series, however, was postponed on Monday.
“Due to the overall conditions including the mental health of the players, we had to postpone the series,” ACB CEO Hamid Shinwari was quoted as saying.
Azizullah Fazli also asserted that the series will be played next year.
“Both the teams will play the series in 2022. The venue has not been finalized yet.”
Speaking on his role as ACB chairman and the plans ahead, he said, “After the Afghanistan Islamic Emirate took control of the country, they decided to look for the right and deserving person to lead the cricket board. Finally, they appointed me as the chairman.”
“It has to be mentioned here that I have worked for Afghanistan cricket development for nearly two decades. It’s my first week on the job and we are already on our way to organize Shpageeza Tournament, a local T20 league being organized by the board. I hope we will continue doing the good work,” Fazli signed off.
Afghanistan’s three-match ODI series against Pakistan has been postponed indefinitely after talks between the two boards concluded that logistical challenges were making it tough for the Afghanistan contingent to travel to Sri Lanka and the situation in Afghanistan would not have left their players in a good mental space. The PCB also tweeted that both boards will try to reschedule the series for 2022.
Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) CEO Hamid Shinwari confirmed that they tried to move the series to Pakistan, but eventually decided to postpone the series considering the situation around Afghanistan.