Pakistan have invited Afghanistan’s national cricket team on a recognised tour for the first time, officials said Tuesday, following a visit to Kabul by Prime Minister Imran Khan -- one of the game’s greatest players.
“We’ll try to look for a possible window for this tour -- and if not 2021, we’ll definitely try to plan a series in 2022 season,” said Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief executive Wasim Khan.
“A cricket series between Pakistan and Afghanistan could be a harbinger of love and peace between the two countries,” he told AFP.
An Afghan national side toured Pakistan in May 2011, although they only played a second-string side and matches were not given first-class status.
Pakistan premier Khan visited Afghanistan on Thursday, where he vowed to help reduce spiralling violence and push for a ceasefire between the Taliban and Afghan forces.
Before entering politics, the Oxford-educated Khan was one of the world’s leading cricketers -- a destructive all-rounder with a devastating ability to swing the ball and brutally attack the opposition’s bowling.