Rashid Khan Appeals for Peace Ahead of Pakistan-Afghanistan Tri-Nation T20 Series

A thrilling match took place between Pakistan and Afghanistan in a Super Four match of the 2022 Asia Cup. After the fiercely contested match by 1 wicket, angry Afghan fans attacked the opposing supporters. Due to which both sides went face to face. Pakistan, Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates are entering the tri-nation T20 series from today (Friday). Before which, the bitter experience of the Pak-Afghan fight was in the discussion.

Pakistan and Afghanistan will face off in the first match of the series at 9 pm Bangladesh time at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Before entering the field, Afghan captain Rashid Khan gave a message of peace to the opponents and fans. He said, “I say to everyone who comes to watch the game at the stadium – cricket carries a message of unity. It brings people and countries together. It gives a message of peace to everyone.”

There was already political conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Which increased after that incident. This time, the organizers are quite aware of the risk of possible conflict. In addition to having separate seating arrangements for Pakistan and Afghanistan fans in the stadium, extra precautions have been taken to stop possible trouble before it starts. Of course, this is not the first time, during the bilateral series between the two teams in 2023, there was a separate stand in the gallery for fans. A significant portion of the citizens of both countries live in the United Arab Emirates, especially Sharjah. So the Pakistan-Afghanistan match there means extra excitement for the fans in the gallery.

In the series starting today, each team will face each other twice. Then the series final will be held on September 7. Although there are duels in cricket on the field, the Afghan captain reminded us that it is also a source of entertainment and enjoyment, “The game is purely for fun. We ourselves play to enjoy each other and to entertain the spectators and supporters. This is just a cricket match. I would like to request everyone to come and enjoy the game, support your team and enjoy every moment of the game.”

Rashid does not want to single out any team as the favourite as this tri-nation series is a shortened version, saying, “No team is a favourite, especially in T20s. You have to play good cricket. One or two cricketers can change the course of the entire match. Apart from that, everyone will try to give their best performance.”

What happened in the 2022 Asia Cup

In the Super Four match, Pakistan won by 1 wicket on Naseem Shah’s cameo (14 off 4 balls) against the Afghans’ target of 130 runs. The heat of the fiercely contested match spread throughout the gallery. However, it is believed that the heat spread from the argument between Pakistani batter Asif Ali and Afghan bowler Farid Ahmed after being dismissed. Farid celebrated by going in front of Asif and throwing punches in the air. In response, Asif pushed him away and held the bat in front of his face. However, his teammates immediately removed both of them.

After the match, the fans also got into a fight among themselves. At this time, many even broke the chairs in the gallery. Before the authorities and the police could take action, the gallery was badly damaged. In the video that spread on social media, Afghans were seen beating Pakistani fans with chairs. The then PCB president Ramiz Raja threatened to file a formal complaint against the Afghans, calling it a ‘terrorist act and atrocity’. In contrast, Afghan Cricket Board CEO Shafiq Stanikzai also called for amity along with demanding a ban on Asif.