Reports: Taliban could ban cricket in Afghanistan

Afghanistan have been one of the fastest-growing teams in world cricket. During the T20 World Cup in June, the Blue Tigers made it to the semi-finals of an ICC event for the first time. The Afghan fans have supported their team through thick and thin and experienced the highs and lows alongside the players. However, the journey of the Asian side in the beautiful sport could come to an end if reports are to be believed.

According to reports, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan - Hibatullah Akhundzada has announced a gradual ban on cricket. However, there is no official confirmation regarding this. It is well-known that Taliban spearheads Afghanistan and they have already barred women from playing any sport in the country. However, it could be time for the men to follow the same route, bearing the brunt of the extremist regime.

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Some of the tweets, which are circulating online regarding this topic, claim that Akhundzada is not happy with the sport as he believes it has harmful effects and also it is against the Sharia Law. Another tweet claims that there is a tussle between two factions - one led by Akhundzada, and the other by Sirajuddin Haqqani, the brother of Anas Haqqani, who have invested heavily in Afghanistan cricket.

Afghanistan have produced several star players who have done well in international as well as franchise cricket. Players like Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, and Naveen-ul-Haq are doing well not just for their nation but also for their franchise teams. The Afghanistan team is currently in Greater Noida, where they were supposed to play a first-ever Test match against New Zealand. However, on Friday, September 13, the match got abandoned without a ball being bowled on any of the five days.

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While the abandonment of the historic affair is unfortunate, it comes nowhere close to the kind of setback Afghanistan cricket might be headed for. The glimmer of hope for the moment comes from the fact that none of the tweets or the reports have been confirmed yet.