Following bomb attack, Kabul cancels cricket series with Pakistan

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New Delhi:The repercussions casued by the deadly bomb attack in Kabul on Wednesday has destabilised sporting ties between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Afghanistan, according to media reports, have cancelled proposed home and away cricket fixtures with Pakistan after the deadly bomb attack allegedly backed by Islamabad.
The development leaves Pakistan cricketers even more isolated in the region.India has refused to play a full series since the 2008 Mumbai attacks, while ties with fellow Test team Bangladesh have also soured after Pakistan pulled out of a planned series in July.

Pakistan were set to play their first Twenty20 match in Kabul later this year in what was seen as an opportunity for the neighbours to ease tensions over border skirmishes and alleged proxy warfare.The Kabul match, set for July or August, would have been followed by a fixture in Pakistan and a full series at an unspecified date.
But the Afghanistan Cricket Board issued a strongly worded statement late on Wednesday, cancelling the matches in light of a truck bombing in the city's diplomatic quarter that killed at least 90 people.No group has claimed responsibility for Wednesday's attack, although the Taliban has denied involvement.Afghanistan's intelligence agency has blamed the Taliban-allied Haqqani Network for the attack, which has been linked to Pakistan's military in the past.

 

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