The ODI series between Afghanistan and Pakistan has been postponed indefinitely due to travel and logistical issues posed by the Taliban takeover of the country.
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The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan has raised plenty of concerns about the future of cricket in the country. The first casualty has been an upcoming ODI series. Afghanistan’s three-match ODI series against Pakistan has been postponed indefinitely due to the logistical and travel issues associated with the situation in Afghanistan. The situation has made it tough for Afghan players to travel to Sri Lanka. There is also fear for their mental health due to the volatile situation. The Pakistan Cricket Board has stated that the series could be played in 2022.
In addition to the Taliban takeover, the coronavirus situation has complicated matters even further. Sri Lanka has reported a surge in cases and they have imposed a 10-day lockdown. The route that was planned for the series was very complicated. The Afghanistan players were supposed to travel by road to Pakistan. They would then fly to Dubai and then to Colombo for the series.
The three-match ODI series between Afghanistan and Pakistan was supposed to be Afghanistan’s ‘home’ series. The initial plan was to hold the series either in Pakistan or the UAE. The Afghanistan Cricket Board CEO had initially tried to move the series to Pakistan but due to logistical issues, they decided to postpone the tour.
Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, CEO Hamid Shinwari stated that the plan to play the entire series was still on. “Considering all the situations, especially our players’ mental readiness, we found that that they are not prepared. We needed a camp and we needed time for them to acclimatize to the weather and conditions. But with all the delay in making efforts to play in Sri Lanka, we have lost enough time. Now making a trip to Pakistan without preparation in such a short time isn’t working for our players. Pakistan is a good team and playing them at home you need to be fully prepared which, unfortunately, we are not so we have decided to postpone it indefinitely,” Shinwari stated.
The Pakistan players are currently in the West Indies for the four Twenty20 Internationals and two Tests. It was widely reported that Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi and Hasan Ali were all set to be rested for the series. ESPNCricinfo had reported that there was a 26-member Pakistan squad that had assembled in Lahore under the guidance of Saqlain Mushtaq.
The Pakistan cricket team will now have enough time to prepare for the ICC World T20 2021 that will play in the UAE. Pakistan will play a marquee clash against India on October 24 while they will also play a crucial match against New Zealand.
The Pakistan cricket team won the T20I series against the West Indies 1-0 with three matches being abandoned due to rain. The first Test match went down to the wire, with West Indies winning by one wicket. The second Test is evenly poised, with Pakistan all set to level the series. A strong performance by Shaheen Afridi and a century from Fawad Alam boosted Pakistan. With only one day to go, Pakistan will want to end the tour of the West Indies on a high.
