KABUL, (Reuters) – An explosion went off inside Kabul’s main cricket stadium during a domestic league match yesterday, injuring four people, an official of Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) said.
“The match was going on between two teams in Shpageza League, and during the match a blast happened; four civilians in the crowd have been injured,” the Chief Executive of ACB, Nassib Khan, said in a statement.
ACB staff and players were safe, he added.
A spokesman for the Kabul Commander said that the explosion was due to a grenade. “The match stopped for a while. After clean-up of the area the match restarted,” the spokesman, Khalid Zadran, told Reuters.
Cricket is a hugely popular sport in Afghanistan, with the country’s national team continuing to do well on the international stage despite limited resources and instability at home. A number of Afghans are ranked among the top players in the world.
Yesterday was a weekly holiday in Afghanistan, and the eight-team domestic league, which has been running for the last 10 days, had attracted a sizeable audience at the stadium.
