On August 22, ACB announced the return of Azizullah Fazli as the chairman of the board. He had previously served as the chairman of the Board till 2019.
Afghanistan has been rocked by recent political events and the takeover of the Taliban after the withdrawal of western troops. His appointment came after the Taliban had a meeting with the board officials.
Fazli had previously overseen cricket in Afghanistan as the board chairman from September 2018 to July 2019. Fazli has also been associated with the ACB with roles such as vice-chairman and advisor in the past.
Earlier, the ACB CEO Hameed Shinwari had assured that the cricket activities will carry on as planned despite the new regime of Taliban taking charge in the country.
The ABC’s biggest task will be to handle the situation surrounding the logistics of Afghanistan’s upcoming tour of Sri Lanka for a series against Pakistan, with commercial flights from Kabul yet suspended.
The board’s backup plan seems to be for players to travel by road to Pakistan and fly out to Sri Lanka from there. The three-match ODI series could also be in jeopardy due to the 10-day lockdown in Sri Lanka due to a rise in COVID-19 cases.
Meanwhile, the BCCI is keeping tabs on the developments in Afghanistan cricket and are hopeful of having Afghani players in the UAE phase of the Indian Premier League.
Sunrisers Hyderabad cricketers Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi are currently in the United Kingdom following their participation in The Hundred.
“It is too early to comment but we are keeping a watch. For us, nothing changes and we expect Rashid and other Afghan players would be part of IPL,” a BCCI source had earlier stated to PTI.
