By Asif Naveed
ISLAMABAD: Zimbabwe Cricket has accepted the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) invitation to participate in a T20 International tri-series alongside Sri Lanka, following Afghanistan’s withdrawal over the killing of three of its cricketers in an airstrike allegedly carried out by Pakistan.
According to a PCB statement issued on Saturday, “Zimbabwe Cricket has accepted the Pakistan Cricket Board’s invitation to participate in a T20I tri-series also featuring Sri Lanka.”
The tri-series will be played in Pakistan from November 17 to 29 and will serve as preparation for the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) announced its withdrawal late Friday night, claiming that three players — Kabeer, Sibghatullah and Haroon — along with five other civilians were killed and seven injured in a strike in the Urgun district of Afghanistan’s Paktika province. The players had returned from a friendly cricket match in Sharana when the strike occurred.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) expressed deep sorrow and condemnation over the deaths. “The ICC strongly condemns this act of violence that has robbed families, communities, and the cricketing world of three bright talents,” it stated, expressing solidarity with the ACB.
Pakistan had carried out precision strikes in Afghanistan’s Angoor Adda, Urgun, and Barmal districts on Friday, targeting hideouts of the outlawed Hafiz Gul Bahadur group.
These strikes followed a major gun-and-bomb attack on a military installation in North Waziristan and came hours after Islamabad and Kabul had agreed to extend a 48-hour ceasefire.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar dismissed reports of civilian casualties as “false and aimed at generating support for terrorist groups operating from inside Afghanistan.”
Meanwhile, cricket legend Shahid Afridi criticised Afghanistan’s recent stance, reminding Kabul of Pakistan’s decades-long hospitality.
“Pakistan has always stood by its Afghan brothers, opening its borders and accommodating four million refugees,” Afridi wrote on X. “Afghanistan has forgotten these favours and committed aggression on the borders, to which our forces responded effectively.”
Rashid Khan supported the ACB’s decision to withdraw from the tri-series, stating that it was a necessary step given the circumstances. PCB spokesperson Amir Mir confirmed that the tournament would go ahead with Zimbabwe replacing Afghanistan.
