Revealed: Why India and Afghanistan players observed a minute silence before start of ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 Match 9

Afghanistan and India observed one minute silence before the start of the game at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.

India and Afghanistan are up against each other in a league-round match at Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium in Delhi. This is the second World Cup game between the neighboring countries. They had faced each other once in the 2019 World Cup, which was a closely contested encounter played at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton. Before the start of their second World Cup game, both Afghanistan and Indian cricket team observed a minute of silence.

When both teams walked in for the national anthem before the start of play, India and Afghanistan, along with the entire crowd present at Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium, observed a minute of silence as a mark of respect for the victims of the recent earthquake that rocked Afghanistan on October 7. Herat province of the west Afghanistan region was the worst-hit part of the country, as it was estimated that more than 1000 people had lost their lives.

Disaster in Afghanistan's Herat province

A 6.3-magnitude earthquake hit western Afghanistan on October 7. Zinda Jan district, located in Herat Province, was the epicenter of the earthquake. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 100 percent of homes have been damaged or destroyed due to the massive earthquake. While the World Health Organization's report estimates that over 500 homes have been flattered by this massive natural calamity,

Earlier, Afghanistan Cricket Board decided to donate 2 million AFN (Afghan Afghani) to support the earthquake victims. ACB tweeted, “The ACB leadership and board members have decided to donate AFN 2 million to support earthquake victims in Herat Province. The ACB staff and national players are also collecting aid, which will be distributed to the affected families in an organized manner."

Afghanistan players have also come in support of the victims of the earthquake, as Afghanistan’s leg-spinner Rashid Khan has extended support from his side. Rashid Khan Foundation organized a fun-raising campaign to support the victims of the earthquake in Afghanistan. This is the second earthquake in Afghanistan in the last two years, previously, in June 2022, more than 1000 people lost their lives in a 5.9-magnitude earthquake in Paktika province.