3 Afghan Cricketers Killed By Pakistan, Who are they?

In Paktika province, an airstrike by Pakistan has killed at least three Afghan cricket players. They were one of eight individuals killed in the assault. The deaths of Afghan cricket players were met with profound sadness on Saturday by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB). The Tri-Nation T20I series, which was supposed to include Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka, has been cancelled by the board in protest.

The ACB said on X (formerly Twitter) that it "expresses its deepest sorrow and grief over the tragic martyrdom of the brave cricketers from Urgun District in Paktika Province, who were targeted this evening in a cowardly attack carried out by the Pakistani regime." Pakistan is accused of carrying out airstrikes in Afghanistan's Paktika province, striking civilian areas in Argun and Bermal districts near the Durand Line.

The fighting, which has claimed dozens of lives on both sides, resulted in a brief 48-hour truce that was eventually violated. Delegations from both nations were in Doha for discussions intended to defuse the situation, and the Taliban denounced the attacks as a breach of the truce.

Who Are the Three Afghan Cricketers Killed By Pakistan?

In a statement, the board named Afghan cricketers killed by Pakistan, Kabeer, Sibghatullah, and Haroon as the deceased players. In the Urgun district airstrike, they were among eight people killed and seven injured. The ACB claims that the players had previously been to Sharana, the provincial capital of Paktika, to play a friendly cricket match.

When they got back to Urgun, they were attacked during a community event. Kabeer was a young cricket player from Afghanistan's Paktika province, specifically from Urgun district. He was regarded as a bright talent in Afghanistan's local cricket league; however, little is known about his life or career.

Afghanistan's Sibghatullah Atal was a gifted opening batsman. He played his maiden international Twenty20 games in March 2023 after making his T20 debut in 2020. He scored 368 runs in 5 games with an average of over 12 in October 2024, earning him the title of player of the tournament in the ACC Emerging Team Asia Cup. Haroon Khan was a right-handed batsman from Kabul. The young cricketer started to gain attention in domestic tournaments and age-group tournaments. The Afghanistan cricket team saw Haroon as a bright future star after he played in the List A, T20, and first-class levels.

Rashid Khan Issues a Strong Statement Against Pakistan

Rashid Khan, the captain of the Afghanistan cricket team, strongly condemned the "barbaric" bombings in a statement and expressed support for Afghanistan's decision to drop out of the tri-series.

He said.

Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka were anticipated to participate in the tri-series tournament. The board prayed for the martyrs and the healing of the injured and respectfully declared that it will not be participating in the forthcoming Tri-Nation T20I Series against Pakistan. After the Champions Trophy, which was held under a hybrid concept, Afghanistan would have visited Pakistan twice this year for the tri-series.