Afghan cricket star Rashid Khan announced he would forfeit the Cricket World Cup match fees he would receive from the International Cricket Council (ICC) by donating them to help the victims of the deadly 6.3 magnitude earthquake that shook his country over the weekend.
The earthquake happened in the western Afghan city of Herat, killing over 2,400 people, injuring over 2,000, and destroying at least 1,300 houses. This was in addition to the casualties and damages received after another major earthquake that hit the country 16 months earlier.
I learned with great sadness about the tragic consequences of the earthquake that struck the western provinces (Herat, Farah, and Badghis) of Afghanistan.
— Rashid Khan (@rashidkhan_19) October 8, 2023
I am donating all of my #CWC23 match fees to help the affected people.
Soon, we will be launching a fundraising campaign to… pic.twitter.com/dHAO1IGQlq
Khan Forfeits World Cup Pay to Help Fellow Afghans
Khan is the team captain of Afghanistan's T20 team and has been known as one of the most successful sporting figures in the country, which is currently being ruled by the Taliban. The Independent said he has reportedly been vocal about the welfare of his countrymen ever since, and expressed his intention to do his bit to help Afghanistan in its time of need.
In a statement on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, Khan said he was "deeply saddened" by the devastation left in the wake of the earthquake.
"I learned with great sadness about the tragic consequences of the earthquake that struck the western provinces (Herat, Farah, and Badghis) of Afghanistan," he said. "I am donating all of my #CWC23 match fees to help the affected people. Soon, we will be launching a fundraising campaign to call upon those who can support the people in need."
Afghanistan is one of the teams competing in the 2023 Cricket World Cup in India. The team lost its first match against Bangladesh on the day the earthquake struck. The Afghan team's next game would be against host nation India on October 11 at Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium.
