• Pakistan and Afghanistan will play three ODI series in September.
• The Afghan cricket team suggested two venues for the series.
• PCB stated that it is difficult for Pakistani cricketers to continue from one city to another until they are ready to receive New Zealand from September 11.

Lahore: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) rejected a proposal by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) on Tuesday to recommend that the upcoming ODI cricket series between the two countries be held in two different venues.

A PCB official, according to news, Indicating that the two countries should only play cricket in one venue, which is related to the qualification for the 2023 World Cup.

Pakistan and Afghanistan are expected to lock up their competition in the three ODI series to be held in Sri Lanka in the first week of September.

The Pakistan National Cricket Team will return from the Caribbean Islands in late August.

“We have made it clear to the Afghan board that before preparing for the New Zealanders scheduled to be held in Pakistan on September 11, members of the national team have only 10 days between travel and the three series. In that case, It is difficult for team members to continue from one city to another. We recommend choosing a venue for all three games,” PCB officials said.

He said that the Afghan cricket team will finalize the Pakistan series plan.

A PCB official said: “Since the Pakistan team is facing a busy schedule until May 2022, only this window is available for this series. We hope that all issues will be resolved as soon as possible to benefit both teams,” he added .

He pointed out that due to the coronavirus pandemic making travel difficult, it is not easy to arrange cricket series on foreign soil nowadays. However, PCB officials stated that the board hopes to fulfill its international commitments “for cross-border fans”.

The Afghan committee may propose a new plan in the next few days.

“We don’t see any reason why the series should not go as planned. It is very likely that the final timeline of the series will be contacted with us in the next few days. Considering Pakistan in the next eight months The heavy international commitments China faces, any delay will not help the host,” he concluded.

PM Imran Khan praises the progress of the Afghan cricket team

Last month, Prime Minister Imran Khan praised the progress made by the Afghan cricket team in overcoming challenges.

The Prime Minister’s speech was delivered during a Q&A with the Pakistan-Afghan Youth Forum (PAYF) delegation on July 29, which visited him in the Prime Minister’s office.

Regarding the promotion of sports in Afghanistan, especially cricket, Prime Minister Imran Khan once said that in the history of cricket, apart from Afghanistan, no country can make such great progress in a short period of time.

“Afghanistan’s current status in cricket is achieved by other countries 70 years later,” he said.

He once said that the main reason behind this success is that Afghan refugees in Pakistan have learned this game, which is impressive.

During his first visit to Kabul in November 2020, the Prime Minister invited the Afghan cricket team to visit Pakistan.

The Afghan cricketer also presented him with a signature bat.