Pakistan government issues visas to the Afghanistan cricket team for helping them travel to Sri Lanka

The Afghanistan cricket team has been issued visas by the Pakistan government which has once again given hope to the fans that the ODI series between the two countries will go ahead as per the plan. Afghanistan and Pakistan are scheduled to play an ODI series in Sri Lanka from September 3. However, there was a cloud of doubt around the series. 

The main area of concern came when the Island nation decided to go into a 10-day lockdown to cut the growing number of COVID cases in the country. On top of that, since the Taliban forces have taken over Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, no commercial flights have taken off from the Kabul International airport. 

As far as Afghanistan’s travel plans to Sri Lanka is concerned, it was being reported that the squad of players will travel via road to Pakistan, from where they will fly to Sri Lanka. The Minister for Information and Broadcasting of the Pakistan government, Chaudhry Fawad Hussain on Sunday revealed that the Pakistan government has issued visas to the Afghanistan cricket team. 

Afghanistan-Pakistan ODI series well on course for now; to happen as scheduled in Sri Lanka

Fawad Hussain posted a tweet from his official Twitter handle in which he wrote that the Pakistan government hopes that the Afghan cricket team can bring smiles to the faces of Afghan people. The tweet was written in the Pashto language. The tweet read, “Pakistan has issued a visa to the Afghan cricket team, we hope and pray that the Afghan cricket team will bring smiles on the faces of its people … “.

پاکستان نے افغانستان کی کرکٹ ٹیم کو ویزہ جاری کر دیا ہے، ہم امید اور دعا کرتے ہیں کہ افغان کرکٹ ٹیم اپنے عوام کی چہروں پر مسکراہٹیں لائے گی…… “زما دا اخلاص نہ ڈکے نیکے حیلے اؤ دعاگانے تاسو سرا دی۔” #AfganistanCricketTeam

— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) August 22, 2021

As far as the Afghanistan cricket team is concerned, they have been practicing at the Kabul International Cricket Stadium for now. The Afghanistan team will have a huge detour on their way to Sri Lanka. They expected to go to Dubai from Pakistan and then travel back to Colombo. The three-match ODI series between them and Pakistan has been entirely scheduled in Hambantota and will commence on September 3. 

It was also reported that Pakistan Cricket Board had previously offered the Afghanistan Cricket Board that the series can be entirely played on their shores at one venue. However, Afghanistan were not too keen on playing in Pakistan and chose to stick to the earlier plan to travel to Sri Lanka.