'Took others 70 years to reach where they have in such short period' - Imran Khan lauds Afghanistan cricket team

Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan appreciated the Afghanistan cricket team for their immense growth and progress at the international level despite a long list of challenges that the country and its players have faced.

The incumbent Pakistan Prime Minister stated that no other country in his sport’s history has achieved as much as Afghanistan in such a short span of time. Khan made the remarks during a Question-Answer session with a delegation of Pak-Afghan Youth Forum (PAYF), which called on him at the PM Office.

“The position at which Afghanistan stands at the moment in cricket was realised by other countries in 70 years,” he said. He also stated that the major reason behind Afghanistan’s notable success was that the Afghan refugees in Pakistan learn cricket.

Imran Khan’s bond with Afghanistan

This was not the first time that Imran Khan was involved in something related to Afghan cricket. During his maiden Kabul visit in November 2020, he had invited the Afghan cricket team to visit Pakistan, while he also received a signed bat from the team.

Earlier this year, the prime minister also met Afghanistan’s star all-rounder Mohammad Nabi, who had requested him to arrange a bilateral series between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Reports suggested that Khan, who is in touch with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), requested them to consider a bilateral event.

Following later developments, the series was confirmed with UAE to play host. Although, it was recently shifted to Sri Lanka owing to the unavailability of the venues due to the Indian Premier League’s rescheduling in the UAE. Notably, the 14th edition of the league was postponed in May this year due to the emergence of Covid-19 cases inside the bio-bubbles. After plenty of considerations, the BCCI zeroed in on UAE as the host for the remaining 31 matches, which will now be played in three venues, namely Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Dubai.

Meanwhile, the three-match ODI series between Pakistan and Afghanistan, which will be a part of the ICC ODI Super League, will now be played at the Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium in Hambantota, Sri Lanka between September 1 and 5.