The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has officially announced that the highly anticipated three-nation T20I tournament will indeed take place in Lahore from November 17 to 29. This confirmation comes despite the recent and unexpected withdrawal of Afghanistan from the series.
The PCB is now actively engaged in discussions with various cricket boards to find a suitable replacement team. Sri Lanka has already been confirmed as the third participant, ensuring the tournament proceeds as a tri-series. A senior PCB official stated, “The Tri-Series will progress as scheduled even after Afghanistan’s withdrawal. We are looking at a replacement team and once finalized, the announcement will be made. The Tri-Series features a third team in Sri Lanka, so it is on from November 17th.”
Afghanistan’s Cricket Board (ACB) made the decision to pull out of the tournament following serious allegations that three Afghan cricketers were killed in Pakistan’s air strikes in Paktika province. This incident has cast a shadow over the cricketing ties between the two nations.
While considering associate member teams like Nepal and UAE as potential replacements, the PCB’s international cricket department is prioritizing the inclusion of another Test-playing nation for the tri-series. In addition to the tri-series, Pakistan is also set to host Sri Lanka for a separate three-match bilateral T20 series from November 11 to 15, adding more exciting cricket to the calendar.
The cricketing relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan has seen considerable strain recently. Notably, during a previous tri-series in Sharjah that also included the UAE, Pakistani and Afghan spectators were strategically seated in separate enclosures to prevent any potential conflicts. Despite these tensions, Pakistan has historically supported Afghanistan’s cricket development, even allowing their players to participate in domestic events before Afghanistan received full International Cricket Council recognition.
It’s worth noting that Afghanistan and Pakistan have not engaged in any bilateral series since Afghanistan achieved Test status, highlighting the ongoing complexities in their cricketing relationship.