Pakistan-Afghanistan series in jeopardy after Sri Lanka imposes lockdown

Dark clouds are looming over the upcoming three-match ODI series between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The series was put into jeopardy after the political turnaround in Afghanistan, where Taliban took over the reins of the country. However, Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) cleared that Taliban has no issues with the team playing cricket and the series will go ahead as per the schedule.

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“Taliban love cricket and they are supporting their team. Our ODI series against Pakistan will go as per schedule in Sri Lanka. After two days’ gap due to the current situation in the country, the training camp of the national team will resume tomorrow,” ACB CEO Hamid Shinwari had said.

Meanwhile, the series has been hit by another obstacle as the Sri Lanka government has imposed a nationwide lockdown in the country. The series was set to be played in UAE but was moved to Sri Lanka after UAE denied hosting the matches due to IPL and T20 World Cup. A decision on the fate of the series will be taken on Sunday (today).

As per a report published in Geo News, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) offered to stage the series in Pakistan but the ACB refused the proposal. If the series does go ahead, the Afghanistan players are likely to travel to Pakistan by road before flying to Sri Lanka via Dubai. The series is scheduled to take place in the first week of September.

Meanwhile, the lockdown is likely to affect the South Africa tour of Sri Lanka starting September 2 as well. The teams are set to cross swords in three ODIs and as many T20Is.