Pakistan take Zimbabwe’s help after Afghanistan boycotts playing against them

The BCCI has shown support for Afghanistan's decision not to play against Pakistan after the Paktika tragedy.

In a bit of a shocking move, Pakistan have confirmed Zimbabwe as Afghanistan’s replacement for the upcoming T20I tri-series also featuring Sri Lanka. The tournament, scheduled from November 17 to 29 in Rawalpindi and Lahore, will now proceed as planned despite Afghanistan’s sensible withdrawal following the tragic deaths of three local cricketers in the Paktika province.

Afghanistan pull out after airstrike tragedy

Yesterday, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) announced it would not participate in the event “as a gesture of respect to the victims” of what it alleged was a cross-border airstrike by Pakistan. The attack in Urgun district reportedly killed three cricketers, Kabeer, Sibghatullah and Haroon, who were returning home after a local friendly match.

“The ACB expresses its deepest sorrow and grief over the tragic martyrdom of the brave cricketers from Urgun District in Paktika Province, who were targetted this evening in a cowardly attack carried out by the Pakistani regime,” the board said in a strongly-worded statement.

The ICC and BCCI both issued messages of condolence, standing in solidarity with Afghanistan’s cricket fraternity. Pakistan, however, maintained silence on the allegations and swiftly turned its focus to keeping the tri-series intact.

PCB brings in Zimbabwe to ‘keep schedule intact’

With Afghanistan stepping away, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) moved quickly to approach other boards, including Nepal and the UAE, before finalising Zimbabwe as the replacement team. In a short release, the PCB said it had been “notified earlier of Afghanistan’s inability to participate” and thanked Zimbabwe Cricket for stepping in on short notice.

The revised schedule sees Pakistan face Zimbabwe in the opening match on November 17 in Rawalpindi, followed by Sri Lanka taking on Zimbabwe on November 19. The remaining fixtures, including the final on November 29, will be played at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium.

Pakistan’s decision to replace Afghanistan with Zimbabwe, barely hours after the tragedy, is extremely insensitive. At a time when condolences should have taken precedence, the PCB’s haste to “keep the show running” just goes to show that they have no remorse.