As chairman of the Afghanistan Cricket Board, Fazli said he will travel to Pakistan to invite the team for a One-Day match.
At a press conference held on Wednesday, the newly appointed Afghanistan cricket chief, Azizullah Fazli, announced he would travel to Pakistan later this week to host a one-day series. There have been suggestions for a men’s team boycott after the hardline Taliban takeover in the war-torn nation. Since the recent change of administration, the future of Afghanistan’s involvement in international cricket has been called into question. Afghanistan needs an active women’s squad in order to continue to play under the rules of the International Cricket Council (ICC).
But according to a top Taliban official, it would be “not required” for women to play sports.
Though he intends to tour other regional cricketing heavyweights, Fazli refused to comment on the new developments.
While he was in Kabul, he called AFP to explain that he is planning a trip to Pakistan from September 25, after which he plans to visit India, Bangladesh, and the United Arab Emirates.
Ramiz Raja was the head of the newly-created Pakistan Cricket Board, and Fazli had offered to help them prepare for the next series with Sri Lanka, which was originally scheduled to take place in September.
Logistical concerns and a COVID-19 outbreak in Sri Lanka caused the cancellation of the three-match One-Day series between Pakistan and Afghanistan. It was one of two qualification processes for the 2023 World Cup which took place over a single day.
“We are aiming to make Afghanistan cricket better,” Fazli stated.
Fazli has already been confirmed to be traveling to Pakistan.
Fazli, who served as chair of the board for about four months, promised to improve facilities in Afghanistan in his second tenure as chairman.
Afghanistan will participate in the Super 12, one of the international cricket stages, which is scheduled to begin on October 17 in the United Arab Emirates.
As long as the Taliban allow women to play cricket, the Test in Brisbane between Australia and Afghanistan has been threatened.
On Tuesday, the new government in Afghanistan dismissed Hamid Shinwari as Afghanistan Cricket Board CEO, replacing him with Naseeb Zadran Khan, a Haqqani Network associate who is believed to have been connected to some of the country’s most deadly attacks.
