• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Trending:
  • Kashmir
  • Elections
Thursday, July 10, 2025

Daily Times

Your right to know

  • HOME
  • Latest
  • Iran-Israel Tensions
  • Pakistan
    • Balochistan
    • Gilgit Baltistan
    • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
    • Punjab
    • Sindh
  • World
  • Editorials & Opinions
    • Editorials
    • Op-Eds
    • Commentary / Insight
    • Perspectives
    • Cartoons
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Featured
    • Blogs
      • Pakistan
      • World
      • Ramblings
      • Lifestyle
      • Culture
      • Sports
  • Business
  • Sports
  • Lifestyle
  • E-PAPER
    • Lahore
    • Islamabad
    • Karachi

Uncertainty, distress for Afghan cricketers after Taliban takeover

The crack of bat on ball echoes around Kabul’s international stadium as Afghanistan’s top cricketers prepare for their next tour — just days after the country fell to the Taliban.

The calm of the empty stadium is a surreal contrast to scenes just a few kilometres north, where tens of thousands of Afghans at Kabul airport are desperately trying to flee on evacuation flights.

Following the stunning victory of the hardline Islamists, many of the players in cricket-mad Afghanistan’s beloved national team are finding it difficult to focus on sport.

“The fear is there in their eyes, in their voices, even in their messages,” pace bowler Naveen-ul-Haq said of his teammates in Kabul during a BBC radio interview broadcast at the weekend.

“The Taliban have said (they) won’t be troubling any sportsman, but nobody knows,” added Haq, speaking from the West Indies where he plays in the Caribbean Premier League.

The return of the Taliban has sparked widespread fear in Afghanistan and in the international community, reviving memories of their brutal first stint in power from 1996 to 2001 when they imposed a harsh version of Islamic law.

They banned most forms of entertainment — including many sports — and stadiums doubled as public execution venues.

Sports the Taliban did allow were strictly controlled, and were for only for men to play and watch.

They did not mind cricket, however, and the game born centuries ago on the playing fields of England is popular among Taliban fighters too.

That has done little to ease the fears of many players, for whom the fall of the country is about a lot more than the sport.

“I appeal to the leaders of the world; please don’t let Afghanistan go into chaos,” former national captain Mohammad Nabi tweeted days before the fall of Kabul, as the Taliban were rapidly capturing territory.

“We need your support. We want peace.”

Cricket was barely known in the nation until the early 2000s, and its explosive rise in popularity was linked with conflict — the sport was picked up in Pakistan by Afghan refugees who then seeded it in their home country.

But the national team has enjoyed a meteoric rise on the international scene since then, gaining coveted Test status in 2017 and now ranked among the top-10 sides in the world in the one-day and Twenty20 formats.

In the last 20 years, it has also emerged as a powerful symbol of national unity in a country riven by civil war and ethnic conflict.

“If you find positive news, if you see people happy together, it’s only cricket… that brings it to the country. It’s that important to Afghanistan,” Haq told the BBC.

“It’s more than a game for Afghanistan’s people.”

That connection with national identity was visible on Afghanistan’s independence day — August 19, less than a week after the fall of Kabul.

Afghan cricketers marked it by tweeting pictures and emojis of the tri-colour national flag, which the Taliban have replaced with their white banner in areas under their control.

All-rounder Samiullah Shinwari had earlier tweeted a photo with the date of the Taliban takeover of Kabul — August 15 — and the words: “The day Afghans lost their country and the whole world just watched.”

For the Afghan players currently outside the country, there are fears for their loved ones back home.

The family of Rashid Khan — Afghanistan’s biggest cricket star — can’t leave the country, according to former England star Kevin Pietersen, who spoke to him last week during a tournament in Britain.

“We had a long chat here on the boundary talking about it and (Khan) is worried: he can’t get his family out of Afghanistan,” Pietersen told Sky Sports.

There are positive signs. On Sunday, the Afghanistan Cricket Board tweeted pictures of its newly reappointed chairman to indicate it would be business as usual.

Despite the uncertainty, Afghanistan’s cricket authorities have said their upcoming series against Pakistan, to be played in Sri Lanka, will go ahead.

With no commercial flights operating from Afghanistan, an official said the team would drive to Pakistan and fly out from there.

But even for those who are able to play away from Afghanistan, such as Naveen-ul-Haq in the West Indies, the images from home are difficult to ignore. “You forget about it for a minute or two to focus on cricket but it jumps into your mind again,” he told the BBC.

“I can’t say that I will be fully focused on playing only cricket because you can’t when you see your country like that.”

Filed Under: Sports

Submit a Comment




Primary Sidebar




Latest News

Russia launches largest drone strike yet, Ukraine calls for tougher sanctions

Gaza ceasefire may take a week or more, says Israeli official

Ex-Afghan general reveals India-Taliban alliance behind terror activities in Pakistan

Pakistan storms into U18 Asia cup semis with thrilling victory over China

Ishaq Dar to represent Pakistan at ASEAN forum in Malaysia

Pakistan

Ex-Afghan general reveals India-Taliban alliance behind terror activities in Pakistan

Pakistan storms into U18 Asia cup semis with thrilling victory over China

Ishaq Dar to represent Pakistan at ASEAN forum in Malaysia

PTI founder’s sons barred from politics due to British nationality: barrister Aqeel

Heavy rains paralyze Punjab: five dead, several injured in 24 hours

More Posts from this Category

Business

Remittances hit record $38.3bn in FY25, with spike surpassing IMF package

Gold prices dip by Rs3,000 per tola

PSX down by 826 points

Rupee weakens against dollar

Finmin reaffirms commitment to consultative policy framework

More Posts from this Category

World

Russia launches largest drone strike yet, Ukraine calls for tougher sanctions

Gaza ceasefire may take a week or more, says Israeli official

Hajj 2026: registration extended as 313,000 pilgrims sign up

More Posts from this Category




punjab

Footer

Home
Lead Stories
Latest News
Editor’s Picks

Culture
Life & Style
Featured
Videos

Editorials
OP-EDS
Commentary
Advertise

Cartoons
Letters
Blogs
Privacy Policy

Contact
Company’s Financials
Investor Information
Terms & Conditions

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Youtube

© 2025 Daily Times. All rights reserved.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkPrivacy policy