Explosion In Cricket Stadium In Kabul During Match Injures Four People: Report

Reports said the explosion took place during a domestic league match on Friday, injuring four people.?

"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," said the Chief Executive of Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) Nassib Khan, according to Reuters.

He added that ACB staff and players were safe. Visuals of the aftermath of the blast have been shared by Afghan news organisations on internet.

This is not the first time a cricket stadium has witnessed an explosion. On May 18 2018, four explosives were detonated in a cricket stadium in Afghanistan's Jalalabad. Eight people were killed and 55 were wounded, according to Radio Free Europe.

In September 2017, three people were killed and five were injured in a suicide bombing at a cricket match in Afghan capital Kabul. The terrorist group ISIS had claimed responsibility for that attack.

There have been other instances of violence been directed at cricket.?

In February 2018, a grenade attack was reported at the house of Afghan national cricket team member Hamid Hassan. The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) at the time ruled out the involvement of the terror groups in the attack and said the criminal gangs had earlier demanded money from the family of Hassan, according to Khaama news agency.?

In January 2014, a gunman killed five local cricket players in Laghman province. The Independent newspaper reported a provincial spokesman at the time saying that the Taliban may be behind the attack as when it had imposed severe restrictions on sports and public celebrations when it ruled the country during 1996-2001.