Hamid Shinwari, the Afghstan Cricket Board (ACB) CEO on Friday said that the board is looking to hold a camp in either Qatar or Abu Dhabi before the T20 World Cup.
He also said that the series against Pakistan and Sri Lanka might have gotten postponed till 2022, but the board is hopeful of hosting a tri-series with Australia and West Indies before the showpiece event.
"We had to play with Pakistan and Sri Lanka but due to unavailability of flights, we had to postpone it to 2022. We are about to play a tri-series against West Indies and Australia before the T20 World Cup. Our team is preparing for it. After the agreement with Australia and West Indies, we will conduct the series," Shinwari told .
"The T20 World Cup is an important event and Afghstan is considered one of the favourite teams at the event. We would like to hold a camp for the T20 World Cup after the tri-series if we have time. It is worth mentioning that players like Rashid Khan, Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman and are important for our squad," he added.
Talking about the camp before the World Cup, Shinwari said: "It will be decided if you remember due to the recent pandemic across the globe, the World Cup has been shifted to the UAE. We will try to have our camp in Qatar or Abu Dhabi, so let's see. Afterwards, we will be participating in the mega event."
The ACB CEO also confirmed that the board has given NOCs to all its players to participate in the resumption of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
"We have given them NOCs, they will be participating in the IPL. It is an important event before the T20 World Cup, we are optimistic our team will have successful results," he added.
Denying that Taliban members did not enter the office of ACB, Shinwari said: "They are rumours. They are only speculations, the cricket board is in good hands, the government is supporting it. People in Afghstan love cricket, authorities are supporting us and they are boosting cricket. They are providing the needed support, we have a national T20 league that will be started very soon in a couple of weeks. Yesterday, we had the players draft. Things with cricket are excellent.
"No we do not have any requests from any cricketer, they are ready to represent the country. The major plans are to hold preparation camps as soon as possible and then participate in the tri-series with Australia and West Indies. We are hosting it so we will try to find a suitable venue, that will be one of the preparation ground before the T20 World Cup," he added.
Lastly, Shinwari also said that ACB has always gotten support from the BCCI and he hopes that it will be the case going forward as well.
"We have been in communication with different boards, we always receive good support from BCCI, be grounds availability or support towards our team at different levels. This game brings peace and happiness to our country, particularly the youth. Our team is an excellent ambassador for the country, therefore people love it. We are thankful to full members of the ICC for their support," said Shinwari.
( With inputs from ANI )
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