Afghanistan cancels Pakistan tour following Kabul attack, PCB hits back

Photo: AFP

Islamabad: The Afghanistan Cricket Board has canceled two Twenty20 matches against Pakistan after a deadly bomb blast in Kabul killed at least 90 people on Wednesday.

In a post on Twitter, the board said it "cancels friendly matches including initially agreed terms of mutual cricket relationship" with Pakistan.

The T20 matches, the shortest of cricket's international formats, were to be played in Kabul and Lahore in July and August.

Last week, ACB chairman Atif Mashal met with top Pakistan Cricket Board officials in Lahore and it was later announced that the countries planned to resume cricketing ties at youth and senior levels.

The Pakistan Cricket Board called the ACB tweet an irresponsible statement.

The PCB said millions of Afghan refugees learned the game of cricket during their stay in Pakistan.

"Over the years, the PCB helped cricketers in Afghanistan develop their expertise and an entire generation of Afghan national players honed their cricketing skills in Pakistan."

The PCB said the games in Kabul were subject to a stable security situation in Afghanistan.

"It is also deeply regrettable that the ACB delegation in Pakistan was at pains to insist that politics should not impinge on cricket but has now turned around and is playing politics by laying the blame for its troubles and inadequacies on Pakistan," the PCB said in a statement.