Father of Afghanistan cricket captain abducted near his home

KABUL, Afghanistan – Afghanistan's cricket board says gunmen have kidnapped the father of its national team captain.

There has been no ransom demand since Mohammad Nabi's 60-year-old father, Khobi Khan, was abducted near his home in the city of Jalalabad.

Cricket board president Shazada Masoud said Thursday that police are assisting but there have been no leads or any contact since Khan was taken from his car on Tuesday.

He said Nabi told him his family has no personal disputes and he is shocked at the abduction. Kidnapping is fairly common in Afghanistan amid the violence of fighting the Taliban insurgency.

Nabi has been influential in promoting Afghan cricket. He learned to play while living in a refugee in Pakistan and was named team captain in March.