Afghan cricketer Najeeb Tarakai dies aged 29 after road accident

Afghanistan’s top-order batsman Najeeb Tarakai has died from injuries sustained in a road accident last week, the country’s cricket board said. He was 29.

“ACB … mourns the heartbreaking and grievous loss of its aggressive opening batsman and a very fine human being…” the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) tweeted on Tuesday.

ACB and Afghanistan Cricket Loving Nation mourns the heart breaking & grievous loss of its aggressive opening batsman & a very fine human being Najeeb Tarakai (29) who lost his life to tragic traffic accident leaving us all shocked!

May Allah Shower His Mercy on him pic.twitter.com/Ne1EWtymnO

— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) October 6, 2020

The cricket board had earlier said Tarakai had surgery in Nangarhar last Friday after the accident and had been in critical condition.

Tarakai made his international debut in the 2014 T20 World Cup in Bangladesh. He scored 258 runs in the format in six years at an average of 21.50 and a strike rate of almost 123.

The cricketer played his only one-day international against Ireland in 2017 at India’s Greater Noida city. He scored 32 in his last outing for Mis Ainak Knights in the Shpageeza Cricket League last month.

Afghanistan’s international cricketers including Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi expressed condolences on social media over Tarakai’s death.

“It’s very sad to learn our friend and very fine cricketer Najeeb Tarakai lost his life to the injuries he was suffering from the recent accident,” Nabi posted.

“His loss kept us all stunned and speechless. My deepest condolences to his family and all friends. May his soul rest in peace,” Nabi said.