In horrific scenes, a bomb blast was witnessed in the middle of a Shpageeza Cricket League match between Band-e-Amir Dragons and Pamir Zalmi on July 29. Four spectators sitting at the Kabul International Cricket Stadium were injured as a result.
The fixture, notably, was allowed to continue soon after the disruption as police intervened, sent all four injured fans to the hospital and cleared the safety of the ground.
“Kabul police arrived on scene and took charge, cordoning off the stand. After an hour or so, they gave us clearance to resume the game,”
ESPNcricinfo quoted Afghanistan Cricket Board CEO Naseeb Khan as saying.
In normal circumstances, such an explosion would’ve led to an immediate cancellation of the game and potentially the entire tournament. But the fixture was allowed to resume after one inspection from the Kabul police, with Band-e-Amir emerging victorious in a DLS-adjusted game.
The Dragons chased down their new target of 94 runs in 10 overs with 9 wickets in hand and 17 balls left in their innings. The Zalmi side had posted a score of 159/5 in their 20 overs, preceding the explosion which halted the start of the second half.
The result of the game was reduced to sheer insignificance by the life-threatening explosion at the venue. None of the players, support staff members and all else directly involved with the game were affected by it.
The game featured quite a few of Afghanistan’s international players and emerging young talent as well. The list led by their experienced seamer Shapoor Zadran, their 2015 World Cup victory hero against Scotland, who was captaining Pamir Zalmi.
He had another veteran figure Dawlat Zadran for company in the side. Zadran, who was part of reserves for the 2021 T20 World Cup in UAE, has played 82 ODIs and 34 T20Is for Afghanistan.
Youngster Mohammadullah Najibullah, one of the players part of the U-19 World Cup 2022 team in the West Indies, was also present for the game for the Zalmi side.
Leading the Dragons was Aftab Alam, one of the members of the 2019 World Cup squad in the UK, who was later suspended by ACB on disciplinary grounds for a year. Karim Janat, an integral part of Afghanistan’s white-ball set-up, was one of Alam’s teammates at the stadium. Janat was involved in Afghanistan’s most recent assignment, their tour of Zimbabwe for ODIs & T20Is in June.
Joining them in the Dragons camp at the venue was Ikram Alikhil, whom cricket fans will remember for his knock of 86 off 93 deliveries aged just 18 at a 2019 World Cup league game versus the West Indies.
Given the presence of prominent names part of all eight teams, the ACB is in for a hard time to keep the Shpageeza Cricket League going amidst security threats. There are still six league-stage encounters, three playoff matches, and a final to be held for the league’s 2022 edition. All matches are scheduled in Kabul.
The incident once again reinforces the threat that cricket continues to face in the war-torn country. While the powers that be have been supportive of the game in the country, there have been a number of such explosions and security disruptions observed at cricket grounds.
Religious extremism and terrorism continue to dent ACB’s efforts to prove Afghanistan as a safe destination to organise the international game, with any established Test playing country visiting the nation remaining a distant dream.
