ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan Wednesday lauded the Afghan cricket team for their progress in the sport despite all challenges.

The premier’s remarks came during a Q&A with a delegation of Pak-Afghan Youth Forum (PAYF), which called on him at PM Office.

To a question about the promotion of sports in Afghanistan, especially cricket, PM Imran Khan said that no country in the history of cricket but Afghanistan had achieved so much progress in a short period of time.

“The position at which Afghanistan stands at the moment in cricket was realised by other countries in 70 years,” he said.

He said that the main reason behind this success was that the Afghan refugees in Pakistan learnt the game, which was appreciable.

During his maiden Kabul visit in November 2020, the prime minister had invited the Afghan cricket team to visit Pakistan.

He was also presented a signed bat by the Afghan cricketers.

First bilateral series

Meanwhile, the first bilateral series between the two countries has been rescheduled and will now be played in Sri Lanka, instead of the UAE.

The three-match ODI series will be played at the Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium in Hambantota, Sri Lanka between September 1 and 5.

The venue was changed as the stadiums in the UAE were unavailable because of the second leg of IPL 2021, which will be played in September.