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Friday, March 29, 2024

Uncertainty, distress for Afghan cricketers after Taliban takeover

Afghanistan’s national cricket team started training in Kabul for their next tour just days after the capital fell to the Taliban

KABUL – The crack of bat on ball echoes around Kabul’s international stadium as Afghanistan’s top cricketers prepare for their next tour — just days after the country fell to the Taliban.

The calm of the empty stadium is a surreal contrast to scenes just a few kilometres north, where tens of thousands of Afghans at Kabul airport are desperately trying to flee on evacuation flights.

Following the stunning victory of the hardline Islamists, many of the players in cricket-mad Afghanistan’s beloved national team are finding it difficult to focus on sport.

“The fear is there in their eyes, in their voices, even in their messages,” pace bowler Naveen-ul-Haq said of his teammates in…

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