Afghanistan's 3-match series shifted from Sri Lanka to Pakistan over logistical issues

Afghanistan's three-match ODI series against Pakistan has been moved from Sri Lanka's Hambantota to Pakistan due to logistical challenges in the Afghanistan team's travel. According to an ESPNcricinfo report, it is also because of the latest announcement of a 10-day lockdown that Sri Lanka has enforced owing to rising Coronavirus cases in the country. 

The Afghanistan team was supposed to travel to Pakistan by road, then fly to Dubai, and then head to Colombo for the series. However, no commercial flights have taken off from Kabul following the Taliban's takeover of the country. The Afghanistan vs Pakistan bilateral series would be the first between the two sides, with both having faced each other only during a World Cup and Asia Cup clash prior to this. 

Afghanistan has announced a 17-member squad heading out for the tour. However, Pakistan is yet to announce theirs, due to lack of assurance if the tournament will go as per the planned schedule. Reports however suggest that Pakistan's players - Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Afridi and Hasan Ali will be rested for the series to manage their workload ahead of the T20 World Cup in UAE in October.

Azizullah Fazli Reappointed As Chairman Of Afghanistan Cricket Board

In another development, former chief of Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) Azizullah Fazli has been reappointed as the chairman of the Afghanistan Cricket Board. He already served one term between September 2018 and July 2019. This appointment comes a week after the Taliban seized control over Kabul leading to the collapse of the Afghanistan government forcing President Ashraf Ghani and his National Security Advisor to flee the country.

Afghanistan squad for the Afghanistan vs Pakistan series consists of Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Sediq Atal, Rahmat Shah (vice-capt), Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), Najibullah Zadran, Ikram Alikhil, Shahid Kamal, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Abdul Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazal Haq Farooqi and Noor Ahmad.

(With inputs from ANI)

Image credits: AP