The deaths of three local cricketers of Afghanistan caused major damage to the relationship between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Star cricketer Rashid Khan described Pakistan's attack as immoral and barbaric. After that, he silently takes a step to continue his protest against their neighboring nation.

It is learned that Rashid Khan has removed Pakistan Super League from his official social media bio, which is considered a major step to create more distance from Pakistan and Pakistan cricket. The spinner was a part of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) side Lahore Qalandars, which was mentioned in his 'X' account bio before. But after the tragic incident in Paktika province where at least 10 people were killed in the wee hours of Saturday (October 18), Lahore Qalandars is not visible in his official 'X' account.

Netizens observed the change in Khan's bio on Sunday morning. His current profile sees the mention of Afghanistan, Sydney Thunder, and Gujarat Titans, but Lahore Qalandars is not there. It is now believed that Khan and other Afghanistan cricketers, who played in PSL last season, can pull themselves out from the tournament. It is needless to say, without Rashid Khan or Afghanistan internationals, the Pakistan Super League will lose its credibility and star attractions.

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Rashid Khan showed open protest against the tragic incident

Condemning Pakistan's alleged airstrike on Afghanistan, Khan on Saturday wrote, "It is absolutely immoral and barbaric to target civilian infrastructure. These unjust and unlawful actions represent a grave violation of human rights and must not go unnoticed." 

In response to the attack, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), with immediate effect, withdrew their team from the upcoming Tri-Nation series with Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Pakistan. Supporting ACB's decision, Khan said, "In light of the precious innocent souls lost, I welcome the ACB's decision to withdraw from upcoming fixtures against Pakistan. I stand with our people at this difficult time; our national dignity must come before all else."

The former captain of the Pakistan side, Shahid Afridi, has expressed his disappointment with Afghanistan’s cricket team, reckoning that it was regrettable that the country seemed to have forgotten the support of Pakistan. He also highlighted their decade-long support, including hosting millions of refugees and providing direct help to the families in need.

Afridi’s comment on the Pakistan media came after the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) decided to boycott their upcoming T20I tri-series against Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Even their captain, Rashid Khan, has removed the Lahore Qalandars franchise’s name that he played for in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

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“I didn’t expect it to be like this. For the past 50-60 years, we have been taking care of them. I personally look after nearly 350 Afghan families in Karachi. I believe that both are neighboring countries, and our message has always been to the people of Afghanistan that both sides should cooperate because we are Muslim countries.” Afridi expressed during a recent interaction.

Watch: Shahid Afridi slams Afghanistan for forgetting Pakistan’s contribution

Afridi urged the Afghan leaders to preserve their relationship and prevent outsiders from exploiting the land of Pakistan. However, he didn’t mention India’s name here. After ACB decided to boycott the tri-series, the PCB exchanged them with Zimbabwe, playing the series.

 

 

 

 

 

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“It’s regrettable that instead of sitting down and discussing things directly, you went and shook hands with those who have been involved in terrorism inside Pakistan for a long time. We have always welcomed you, provided you with a place, and people have lived, worked, and done business here. It’s unfortunate that you went and shook hands with those who are carrying out terrorism inside our country.” Afridi addressed the discussion.

“In response to this tragic incident and as a gesture of respect to the victims, the Afghanistan Cricket Board has decided to withdraw from participating in the upcoming Tri-Nation T20I Series involving Pakistan, scheduled to be played in late November. The Afghanistan Cricket Board expresses its deepest sorrow and grief over the tragic martyrdom of the brave cricketers from Urgun District in Paktika Province.” ACB made the statement.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has confirmed that the three-nation tri-series for the shortest format will go on as scheduled from November 17 to 29 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, despite the decision of the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) to withdraw from the series. The PCB is currently in talks with other boards to find a replacement for the series.

Afghanistan decided to pull out of the tournament following their claim that the three cricketers died in Pakistan’s army attack in Paktika province. PCB is trying to find either Zimbabwe or one of the associate nations, like Nepal or the UAE, as the potential replacements for the tri-series.

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“The tri-series will progress as scheduled even after Afghanistan’s withdrawal. We are looking at a replacement team, and once finalized, the announcement will be made. The tri-series features a third team in Sri Lanka, so it’s on from 17th November.” The senior official of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) revealed, as quoted by the Times of India (TOI).

PCB reveals plan to replace Afghanistan for home T20I tri-series involving Sri Lanka

Neither Afghanistan nor Pakistan has featured in a bilateral series against each other since the former gained Test status, although their A-side has toured that part of the world in the past. The relationship between the two cricketing boards has been strained recently. During a tri-series in Sharjah before the Asia Cup, including the Asia Cup, their spectators were seated in separate enclosures to prevent potential conflicts.

In response to this tragic incident and as a gesture of respect to the victims, the Afghanistan Cricket Board has decided to withdraw from participating in the upcoming Tri-Nation T20I Series involving Pakistan, scheduled to be played in late November. The Afghanistan Cricket Board expresses its deepest sorrow and grief over the tragic martyrdom of the brave cricketers from Urgun District in Paktika Province.” The ACB revealed in a statement on the tri-series.

Pakistan is currently playing their two-match Test series at home against South Africa before shifting their focus to the white-ball formats. The next challenge will be the tri-series.

The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), on October 18, announced that they have decided to withdraw from participating in the upcoming tri-nation T20I series against Pakistan and Sri Lanka, which is scheduled to take place in late November. They were supposed to travel Pakistan to feature in the tri-series and face the hosts on November 17.

However, the ACB stated that they had taken the decision to postpone the trip in response to the tragic incident where the Pakistan Army targeted their three players, Kabeer, Sibghatullah, and Harron, along with five other fellow countrymen from Urgun district. They were martyred while seven others were injured.

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“In response of this tragic incident and as a gesture of respect to the victims, the Afghanistan Cricket Board has decided to withdraw from participating in the upcoming Tri-Nation T20I Series involving Pakistan, scheduled to be played in late November. The Afghanistan Cricket Board expresses its deepest sorrow and grief over the tragic martyrdom of the brave cricketers from Urgun District in Paktika Province” The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) revealed in a statement.

Afghanistan withdraw from participating in T20I series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan

The last face-off between the two sides came in Sharjah during the tri-series where they met in the final. Afghanistan failed to qualify for the Super 4 stage of the recent Asia Cup 2025, where Pakistan lost the final to India in Dubai and ended as the runners-up. The left-arm pacer of Afghanistan, Fazalhaq Farooqi, and their T20I captain, Rashid Khan, expressed their emotion on the tragic incident.

“The martyrdom of the civilians and our domestic cricket players by the oppressors is an unforgivable crime. The massacre of innocent civilians and our domestic cricket players by these oppressors is a heinous, unforgivable crime.” Farooqi wrote on his Facebook page.

“I am deeply saddened by the loss of civilian lives in the recent Pakistani aerial strikes on Afghanistan. A tragedy that claimed the lives of women, children, and aspiring young cricketers who dreamed of representing their nation on the world stage.” Rashid Khan wrote on X. It will be interesting to see if Afghanistan shake hands with Pakistan in the ICC events.

When Pakistan posted 141/8 in their allotted 20 overs of the first innings during the final of the Tri-series 2025 against Afghanistan at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, many predicted the Rashid Khan-led side to chase down the target quite comfortably in the second innings. But the surface looked a bit tired, helping the spinners to grip the ball, making it harder to score. 

On the fifth delivery of the last over of the powerplay, Mohammed Nawaz picked up the wicket of Darwish Rasooli on a five-ball duck. It was a tossed-up delivery from the left-arm spinner as the batter tried to work it across the line and was struck on the pads. The bowler’s appeal convinced the umpire to raise his finger.

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On the very next delivery, Nawaz bagged the wicket of Azmatullah Omarzai. It was a pitched-up delivery by the spinner as the batter went for a cut straightaway. But he got an outside edge, and Mohammed Haris completed a sharp catch behind the stumps. The nick was loud and clear for the umpire to lift his finger.

Watch: Mohammed Nawaz becomes first Pakistan spinner to record T20I hat-trick

On the opening delivery of the seventh over, Pakistan’s captain, Salman Ali Agha, put up a strong fielding set-up. On nine runs off 15 balls, Ibrahim Zadran got drawn forward to the ball and was beaten on the edge as Haris whipped the bails in a jiffy to find the right-handed batter short of his crease.

MOHAMMAD NAWAZ HAT-TRICK 🤯pic.twitter.com/bLqBZZuFcj

— PCT Replays 2.0 (@ReplaysPCT) September 7, 2025

Nawaz became the third Pakistan bowler to record a T20I hat-trick. He also became the first spinner of the country to reach the milestone, joining Mohammed Hasnain and Faheem Ashraf. The left-arm spinner ended with a fine figure of 5/19 in four overs, including a maiden to bowl out the opponents for 66 runs in 15.5 overs.

It’s an inspiring victory for the Green Brigade, who will now shift their sharp attention to the Asia Cup. Their most anticipated clash of the event will be against India on September 14 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai.

Pakistan and Afghanistan are set to clash in the fourth match of the UAE T20I Tri-Series 2025 on Tuesday, September 2, at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Pakistan have started the tournament on a dominant note, registering back-to-back wins to secure the top position on the points table. Their earlier victory against Afghanistan by 39 runs in the series opener highlighted their strong form. With momentum firmly on their side, Pakistan will aim to deliver another commanding performance to confirm their berth in the tournament final.

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Afghanistan, meanwhile, find themselves in a challenging position after losing their opening encounter. With limited time to recover, they face the tough task of playing two games within 24 hours. This makes their path to the final far more difficult, requiring them to secure consecutive victories to keep their hopes alive. To compete effectively against a confident Pakistan side, Afghanistan will need both discipline and resilience in all departments of the game.

Pakistan vs Afghanistan, Match 4: Live Streaming Details

Pakistan vs Afghanistan, Match 4: Probable Playing XI

Pakistan (Playing XI):

Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Salman Agha (c), Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Haris (wk), Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Salman Mirza, Sufiyan Muqeem

Afghanistan (Playing XI):

Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan (c), Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad Malik