Qais Ahmad's Hundred team offer support as Taliban seize control of Afghanistan

London - The 21-year-old spinner has been playing for the Welsh Fire in The Hundred

Qais Ahmad will be free to decide if he wants to play in the final group stage round of English cricket's Hundred competition after the Taliban seized control of his native Afghanistan.

The 21-year-old spinner has been playing for the Welsh Fire during the inaugural season of the new 100 balls per side tournament.

The Fire, who cannot qualify for the knockout rounds of the Hundred, play their final match of the season against London Spirit in Cardiff on Wednesday, but Ahmad may miss that fixture due to concerns about his family in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan.

"We're trying to support Qais as much as possible," Welsh Fire manager Mark Wallace told BBC Wales on Tuesday.

"Obviously he's worried about the situation back home, as we are on his behalf too.

"Qais has ended up being a real fans' favourite with the Welsh Fire through his performances and just his character over the whole competition.

"He's from Kabul and he has family in Afghanistan, and we've all seen the pictures on the news of how that situation has just escalated over the last few days.

"Any support and help we can put in place for him while he's with the Welsh Fire -- of course we are reaching out to him -- and making sure he gets it."

Ahmad is one of four Afghan cricketers in the Hundred, with star spinner Rashid Khan turning out for Trent Rockets while Mohammad Nabi has been at London Spirit, with Mujeeb Ur Rahman appearing for Northern Superchargers.

"We've all seen the scenes in Afghanistan and it's shocking for us -- and you can imagine how that affects people with family back at home," Wallace said.

"He (Ahmad) was naturally down. We've managed to put some support in place for him to be able to communicate how he's doing.

"If he can go out to the field and play then that's going to be totally up to him, but if he feels as if he can't play then of course he'll be sitting out -- and making sure everything back at home is as stable as it can be," added Wallace.