Afghanistan tour of Pakistan called off due to Lahore blasts

The Pakistan Cricket Board’s plans of having an Afghanistan side touring them later this year has been put on hold momentarily. Reports suggest that the reason for the calling off of the tour is the recent devastating impact of the blasts in Lahore. The tour is said to be a build up for Pakistan’s upcoming tour of England during the summer.

Further probe into the reports suggested that the negotiations between the Afghanistan Cricket board and the PCB had already reached a conclusion. The venues also had been picked with the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore and the Karachi National Stadium which would host 2 of the three ODIs to be played. Earlier in 2015, Zimbabwe had broken the Pakistan touring hoodoo by playing a 3-match ODI series on Pakistan soil for the first time since the infamous terror attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in 2009.

A report in The Express Tribune wrote that the Afghanistan tour had been called off indefinitely due to the blasts in Lahore.

The report also added, “The board was waiting for security clearances [from the Sindh and Punjab governments], but looking at the unfortunate incident in Lahore a few days ago, we were forced to cancel the tour. Once the security situation improves, then we’ll see if this series can take place.”

Should the Afghanistan tour be pulled off in terms of security, there is a good chance that a Combined World XI will agree to play a series on Pakistan soil. ECB chairman Giles Clarke is also expected to fly down to Lahore in early April to discuss the tour.

While many sides have voiced their reservations following the horrific attack on the Sri Lankan players, the planned tours may well remove the fear in cricketer’s minds.