Afghanistan Cricket Announces Major Tournament Amid Pakistan War; Schedule Released

Afghanistan announce major tournament amid Pakistan war [Source: AFP]

As cross-border tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan continue to rise, the ripple effects of their deadly war are now beginning to feel beyond the geopolitical sphere. The unrest between the two neighbouring Asian countries has already spilled into their cricketing infrastructure as well, with several Afghanistan players boycotting the PSL 2026 in Pakistan.

Despite Afghanistan’s ongoing conflict with Pakistan, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has gone ahead and announced a schedule of a major domestic first-class tournament.

Mirwais Neka Regional returns for Season 6 amid Pakistan war

The ACB has announced the entire schedule for the upcoming sixth edition of the Mirwais Neka Regional Three-Day Tournament. Notably, the announcement comes at a time when tensions in the region remain high owing to the nation’s geopolitical conflict with Pakistan.

As per the schedule, the 2026 edition of the Mirwais Neka Regional Three-Day Tournament will begin with two matches on April 2. Much like the previous editions, the 2026 season will feature five teams, with Speen Ghar Region entering as the defending champions after winning the title in 2025. 

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A total of 10 matches will be played in the competition, with each team facing each other once in a round-robin format. The entire tournament will be played across two Afghanistan venues, namely the Kandahar National Cricket Ground and Helmand Cricket Ground.

Several players from Afghanistan’s U19 squad, that recently reached the semifinal of the 2026 U19 World Cup, are set to feature in the 18-day competition. Players from the Provincial Grade I tournament as well as Afghanistan’s red-ball domestic contracted cricketers will also be taking part in the first-class event. Here is a look at the entire schedule of the upcoming 2026 Mirwais Neka Regional Three-Day Tournament.

Mirwais Neka Regional Three-Day Tournament 2026 schedule

What happened in previous Mirwais Neka Regional Tournament

The Speen Ghar Region team, under the leadership of young Allah Noor, won the 2025 edition of the Mirwais Neka Regional Three-Day Tournament back in April 2025 last year. The team aggregated 55 points from four matches courtesy of a huge innings win and three draws.

Bost Region finished second on the table without notching up a single win. The Band-e-Amir and Mis-e-Ainak teams secured a solitary win each, and finished third and fourth for accumulating 50 and 45 points respectively. The Amo Region finished at the bottom of the five-team points table with mere 34 points from four matches.

Conflicts continue to deter Afghanistan cricket

The ongoing conflict with Pakistan has already had a direct impact on Afghanistan cricket, with several players boycotting the PSL 2026 season. Moreover, the ongoing USA-Iran war, which erupted earlier this year and continues to escalate, has further added to the uncertainty surrounding international cricket commitments of Afghanistan players.

Shortly after the conclusion of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, the Afghanistan team was scheduled to host Sri Lanka in the UAE for a short T20I and ODI series in March itself. However, both the SLC and the ACB were forced to postpone the series owing to the current Middle East crisis.

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