Afghanistan’s cricket environment has changed dramatically since the Taliban took control of the country. Afghanistan has suffered a great loss this year, from the cancellation of their three-match ODI series versus Pakistan as Rashid Khan stepped down as captain. To top it all off, the Taliban fired Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) executive director Hamid Shinwari.
On his official Facebook page, Shinwari shared the post. Anas Haqqani, the Taliban’s new Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani’s younger brother, was the one who fired him. The former ACB chief further said that the Anas Haqqani did not provide him with any justification for his dismissal. Shinwari went on to say that Naseebullah Haqqani had been told straight away that he will be sacked.
It is still unclear if the new ACB chief is associated with Sirajuddin Haqqani, who is being investigated by the police for his role in multiple attacks on Kabul during the Taliban’s fight with the US-backed government. Even though the Taliban have stated that they will not interfere in Afghanistan’s men’s cricket team, recent happenings suggest that they are involved in the sport.
We ask the whole cricketing world to keep the door open for us: Shinwari
The Taliban’s prohibition on Afghanistan’s women’s team has already sparked a lot of debate. It has also irritated numerous countries, who are questioning the ICC is calm and quiet on the issue. Last Monday, Australia postponed a one-off Test match versus Afghanistan’s men’s side.
The match was supposed to take place in Hobart on November 27. Even though Shinwari urged Cricket Australia (CA) to rethink its decision.
“We ask Cricket Australia and the whole cricketing world to keep the door open for us, walk with us, do not isolate us, and avoid penalizing us for our cultural and religious environment,” Shinwari had said in a statement.
Taliban Fired ACB Executive Director Hamid Shinwari and named Naseebullah Haqqani as the new leader on their official Facebook page. The Afghanistan cricket team will next compete in the ICC T20 World Cup, which will commence on 17th October.
