The only Pakistani player in Afghanistan’s Shpageeza Cricket League, Abdul Razzaq is coming back home following the suicide blast near cricket stadium in Kabul on Wednesday. The terrified blast occurred when there was a match under way in ground.
According to the Express Tribune report, the former Pakistani test player Razzaq was at his hotel at the time of the blast which was just five minutes’ drive away from the stadium. “I was watching the other match on TV when I heard the loud blast. All the players were terrified,” the report quoted the T20 specialist. “I had immediately decided to return but the organisers [of the tournament] convinced me to play one more match,” it added.
Razzaq played a match on the next day of blast and scored 30 runs but did not bowl. “I will return to Pakistan in a day or two,” he confirmed.
Earlier, former Pakistan cricket captain Shahid Afridi also signed a contract with one of the teams in the league but later apologised from participating.
According to Shafiqullah Stanikzai, ACB’s chief executive officer, the blast occurred during the fourth over of Knights’ chase of 202. South Africa batsman Cameron Delport had scored a 42-ball century earlier to power Defenders to 201 for 6, which was seven runs too many for Knights.
The match was stopped briefly, but once the Afghanistan government-appointed security gave the clearance, it resumed. “It is not yet clear what caused the blast,” Stanikzai told ESPNcricinfo. He also said the security heads assured the ACB that cricket was not the target in this unfortunate incident and hence the game was allowed to carry on.
