Former Pakistan Test all rounder Abdul Razzaq has quit the Afghan Cricket League (Shpageeza Cricket League) in Kabul, Afghanistan and plans to return back to Pakistan after a deadly suicide attack near a cricket stadium in Kabul.
The bomb blast happened when there was a match undergoing between the Boost Defenders and MIS Ainak Knights. Abdul Razzaq was the only Pakistani player playing in the tournament. Razzaq was at his hotel at the time of the blast and the hotel is just minutes drive from the place of the bomb blast.
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“I was watching a match on the television when I heard a deafening blast. All the players were terrified, “I immediately decided to return back to Pakistan, but the tour organisers persuaded me to play one more match,” added Razzaq
The former Pakistan star all-rounder said shortly after the blast, many players from England, South Africa and Zimbabwe participating in the tournament held a meeting and decided to leave Kabul. The attacker detonated the bomb after he was stopped at a security checkpoint as he walked towards the stadium. Five other people were also injured in the explosion.
The league, Afghanistan’s domestic Twenty20 tournament, includes six teams and features approximately 10-15 international players from South Africa, West Indies, Zimbabwe, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
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According to Shafiqullah Stanikzai, ACB’s chief executive officer, the blast occurred during the fourth over of Knights’ chase of 202, ESPN-Cricinfo reported. Apart from Delport, the other overseas players at the ground at the time of the blast were Morne van Wyk (South Africa) and Rayad Emrit (West Indies) for Defenders, while the Zimbabwean triad of Vusi Sibanda, Sikandar Raza and Ryan Burl were playing for the Knights. Adam Hollioake, the former England captain, is the Defenders coach while Andy Moles is coaching Knights.
The match was stopped briefly but eventually resumed after clearance from the Afghanistan security forces.
