New Delhi, Oct 21 (IANS) Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) chairman Mirwais Ashraf and players of the national team condoled the tragic loss of three young Afghan cricketers, Kabeer Agha, Sibghatullah and Haroon, who lost their lives in the cross-border airstrikes by Pakistan in Paktika province of Afghanistan, and offered prayers for the victims of the tragedy.

The ACB shared pictures and put up a lengthy post on its X account. “ACB Chairman @MirwaisAshraf16, along with several national players including @RahmatShah_08, Zahir Khan, Fareed Malik, and Shabir Noori, as well as several ACB officials, visited Paktika Province yesterday to meet with the families of those martyred in the recent Pakistani airstrikes. During the visit, Ashraf and the delegation expressed their heartfelt condolences and solidarity with the bereaved families and offered prayers for the swift recovery of the injured.”

Mirwais Ashraf said, “Our young players’ dreams were shattered. They had great hopes and ambitions for a prosperous Afghanistan, but the enemies of humanity and peace have cruelly buried those hopes. On behalf of the ACB, I express my deepest sympathy to the families of the victims. We stand with them in this painful time and are deeply grieved by this tragedy.”

“Following the prayer and condolence ceremony, Ashraf, accompanied by the national players, also visited the site where the young cricketers were laid to rest, offering prayers for their souls and paying tribute to their memory,” the post added.

The BCCI and ICC had also expressed condolences and condemned the act. The three young men who had returned home after participating in a friendly cricket match were killed in an attack that also claimed the lives of several citizens.

Earlier this week, Afghanistan withdrew from a tri-nation series with Pakistan and Sri Lanka scheduled for next month, as retaliation for the airstrikes. Afghanistan was to take part in the tri-series in Lahore and Rawalpindi from November 5 to 29.

— IANS

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