‘Cowardly and Shameful’: BCCI Slams Pakistan After Afghan Players Killed in Airstrike
BCCI condemns Pakistan’s airstrike that killed three Afghan cricketers, calling it cowardly and expressing full support to the Afghanistan Cricket Board.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has condemned the deaths of three young Afghan cricketers in a Pakistan airstrike, calling the attack “cowardly and unwarranted.”
The board expressed deep sorrow over the loss and said it stands firmly with the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) and the people of Afghanistan in this moment of grief.
In a statement issued on Saturday evening, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said the board was heartbroken by the deaths of Kabeer Agha, Sibghatullah, and Haroon, who were killed in Paktika province.
“The BCCI expresses its condolences on the tragic loss of three young Afghan cricketers who lost their lives in cowardly cross-border airstrikes. We stand with the Afghanistan Cricket Board, the cricket fraternity, and the families of the departed players,” the statement read.
Saikia added that the killing of innocent sportsmen was distressing and unacceptable. “The loss of young lives, especially those who were chasing their cricket dreams, is deeply painful,” he said.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board has already withdrawn from the upcoming tri-nation T20 series in Pakistan in protest. Star spinner Rashid Khan also expressed shock over the attack, saying he was deeply saddened by the loss of civilian lives in the strikes.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced that it will continue with the tri-series and is in talks with other teams to replace Afghanistan. The BCCI’s statement came shortly after the ICC condemned the deaths of the three Afghan players and extended support to the ACB.
