Taliban Wanted ICC to Replace Afghanistan Flag
The national cricket team of Afghanistan is quite lucky to participate in the ongoing T20 World Cup in the UAE. Next time, they may not be able to compete because the International Cricket Council (ICC) is yet to decide whether to suspend the Afghan team's membership or let them play. It is because the ICC does not recognise the Taliban which overthrew the Afghan government and took over the country.
A source in Afghanistan's cricket board said that the ICC had drafted the match schedule for the T20 World Cup before the Taliban took over Kabul on August 15, it could not disqualify the team at the last minute. The cricket board official, who wished to remain anonymous, said, “It was not easy for ICC to disqualify the Afghan team at the last minute. They knew they would lose thousands of TV viewers and hundreds of live spectators who love to watch world-famous Afghan cricketers like Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and Mujeeb Zadran play.” A report said that the Taliban wanted ICC to replace the Afghan flag with its own. They also requested changes to the country's national anthem. The official added, "Taliban wanted players to sing the anthem without music. The two sides eventually resolved their differences, allowing the Afghan team to participate in the championship.”
Meanwhile there was sad news for Indian fans in the ongoing T20 World cup, India are out of the tournament after New Zealand beat Afghanistan and secured a place in the semi finals along with Pakistan.
