Azizullah Fazli appointed as Afghanistan Cricket Board chairman

Azizullah Fazli has been reinstated as the chairman of the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) on Sunday. Fazli, who headed the cricket board till 2019, including during the World Cup in the UK, replaces Farhan Yousefzai.

“Former ACB Chairman Azizullah Fazli has been re-appointed ACB Chairman. He will oversee ACB’s leadership and course of action for the upcoming competitions,” read a tweet post from Afghanistan Cricket Board

The change comes amid some serious wreckage in Afghanistan, which has been hit by terror from the Islamic militant group Taliban that has taken over various territories of the nation, also putting Afghan cricket’s future in doubt.

However, ACB president Hamid Shinwari stated that the Taliban loves cricket and that there won’t be any disruptions in the country’s cricket. “Taliban loves cricket. They have supported us since the beginning. They did not interfere in our activities. I don’t see any interference and expect support so that our cricket can move forward. We have got an active chairman. I remain CEO until further notice,” Shinwari was quoted as saying by Republicworld.com.

“It can be said that cricket flourished during the Taliban era. It is also a fact that many of our players practised in Peshawar, and they made the sport mainstream in Afghanistan,” he added.

Earlier this week while speaking to the Sports Desk podcast, Shinwari did, however, expressed concerns over the future of women’s cricket in the country “I think it will be stopped – that is my assumption. I don’t know what the position in the future will be. We have kept the salaries and they are on our payroll. If the government decides that we don’t go with the national women’s team, we will have to stop it.”

Afghanistan-Pakistan series in doubt after Sri Lanka imposes lockdown 

Afghanistan is scheduled to play Pakistan in a three-match ODI series in Sri Lanka from September 1 to 5. The series was initially scheduled to be played in the UAE, however, it had to be moved to Sri Lanka owing to the UAE playing the host to the second leg of the Indian Premier League.

The series is under doubt now with the Covid-19 situation worsening in the island nation, which has now announced a nationwide 10-day lockdown.