Taliban meets Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahid, says 'we fully support cricket'

Taliban leader Anas Haqqani met Afghanistan national cricket team captain Hashmatullah Shahidi on Saturday where he affirmed support of the fundamentalist group for the sport. Asserting that the Islamic Emirate laid the foundation of cricket in Afghanistan, Anas Haqqani interacted with Hashmatullah Shahidi and members of the Afghanistan cricket team and selection board. Afghan cricketer Noor Ali Zadran and former cricket board selection committee chairman Asadullah Khan were also a part of the meeting with the Taliban.

Taliban dines with Afghan cricketers

The meeting with the Afghanistan cricket team comes days after the extremist group met former skipper Asghar Afghan. As per images shared by Republic sources, Taliban commandoes were seen feasting with Afghanistan's former skipper Asghar Afghan and also taking selfies.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan's frontline cricket players have expressed concerns over the ongoing Taliban-led atrocities in their country. Star players such as Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, and Mujeeb Zadran who are currently in the UK as a part of the 'Hundred' tournament have appealed to world leaders to help the war-torn nation. 

Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen, who is involved with the 'Hundred' event in the UK, said Rashid is worried about the situation back home and is unable to get his family out of the country. "We had a long chat here on the boundary talking about it and he's worried. He can't get his family out of Afghanistan and there's a lot of things happening for him," Pietersen told Sky Sports.

Afghanistan Cricket Board on Taliban 

After taking over Kabul, Taliban commandoes armed with weapons stormed into the Afghan Cricket Board (ACB) Headquarters to express their 'love' for the game. Afghan cricket board CEO Hamid Shinwari said that the Taliban will support cricket and will not interfere with it. 

Shinwari said, "The Taliban love cricket. They have supported us since the beginning. They did not interfere in our activities. I don't see any interference and expect support so that our cricket can move forward. We have got an active chairman, and I remain CEO until further notice."