The opening One-Day International between Afghanistan and Ireland was abandoned without a ball being bowled after persistent rain left conditions unplayable at Bready Cricket Club in Northern Ireland on Wednesday.

The match was scheduled to begin at 10:45am local time (1:30pm Kabul time), but continuous rain prevented the toss from taking place.

Match officials delayed the start and carried out a pitch inspection at midday before deciding at 12:27pm local time to abandon the fixture.

The washout denied both sides the opportunity to make an early impact in the five-match ODI series, with Ireland also set to begin a new era under head coach Gary Wilson.

The teams are due to meet again in the second ODI at Bready on Friday before the series moves to Stormont in Belfast for the remaining three matches.

The Afghanistan-Ireland ODI series is being broadcast live by Ariana Television across Afghanistan.

An Afghan man accused of murdering a Scottish charity worker and hiding her body in a suitcase has appeared before a court in Athens.

The body of Elisabeth-Jane Ross, 38, from Edinburgh, was discovered by a homeless man inside an abandoned building in the Kypseli district of the Greek capital on July 18.

The suspect, widely identified by Greek media as Sharif Ahmadzai, 26, an Afghan boxer, appeared before the court on Wednesday under heavy police escort. Greek authorities have not officially confirmed his identity.

The hearing was held behind closed doors, during which the suspect was assigned a court-appointed lawyer. He is expected to return to court on Thursday for a further hearing.

According to Greek police, the suspect was initially arrested on illegal weapons possession charges before prosecutors filed additional charges of murder and theft. Investigators allege he stole more than €10,000 from Ross’s bank accounts using her bank cards after her death.

Police said the suspect has admitted moving Ross’s body but denies killing her.

Investigators identified the suspect after reviewing surveillance footage recorded near the abandoned building where the suitcase containing Ross’s body was found.

Authorities also allege that after Ross’s death, the suspect used her mobile phone to send messages to her friends and family before switching it off.

Greek media reports further claim he later purchased another phone and sent messages to Ross’s friends in Athens, including his wife, while posing as an unnamed jihadist who falsely claimed responsibility for the killing because of Ross’s religion.

According to local reports, the suspect’s wife became suspicious after discovering he had not returned home and later tracked his phone to the apartment where Ross had been staying before her disappearance.

The investigation into the killing is continuing.

Former US special envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, has criticised Pakistan’s current situation three years after the imprisonment of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, saying the country has become worse off and needs a major political reset.

In a post on X marking the third anniversary of Khan’s imprisonment, Khalilzad questioned whether the move had benefited Pakistan, despite some foreign policy achievements.

“Are Pakistanis and the country better off than they were three years ago? The answer is clearly no,” Khalilzad wrote.

He said Pakistan’s economy was facing an “unsustainable” crisis, with the government struggling to secure financial assistance. He also pointed to worsening security conditions, saying Balochistan was experiencing a major insurgency, while Pakistan-administered Kashmir and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were also facing violence.

Khalilzad further argued that Pakistan’s foreign relations had suffered setbacks, particularly with Afghanistan and India.

“Overall, the situation is dire and a reset is required,” he said, adding that such a reset should include “internal reconciliation.”

Imran Khan, Pakistan’s former prime minister and leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, has been imprisoned since August 2023 after being convicted in several cases, which his supporters describe as politically motivated. Pakistani authorities have rejected those claims.