Afghanistan Planning To Host West Indies, Australia For A T20 Tri-Series Ahead Of T20 World Cup
By Shaan Singh
Published - 04 Sep 2021, 07:19 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:52 AM
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) is optimistic about the possibility of hosting West Indies and Australia for a tri-series in early October, ahead of the T20 World Cup, which starts from October 17, Oman and UAE.
ACB CEO Hamid Shinwari expressed strong confidence in getting the green light for this series, which, should it go ahead, would be the first international assignment for the Afghanistan senior team since the Taliban takeover.
He said when the venue is confirmed – ACB are pondering over Qatar or UAE as possible venues – the official announcement will be made.
“Our team will be travelling abroad to play the tri-series hopefully, and that we could accommodate two important nations Australia and the West Indies,” Shinwari told ESPNcricinfo.“We are planning to conduct this series in one of the Arab countries, maybe in Qatar or the UAE. It still hasn’t been decided. The series is confirmed given that a venue is available.
The tri-series will interrupt with IPL 2021, which is scheduled from September 19 to October 15 in the UAE. Hence several marquee players from all three sides could be missing.
Afghanistan to trace to Australia for one-off Test after the T20 World Cup
Shinwari further confirmed that Afghanistan’s historic Test match against Australia – scheduled from November 27 in Hobart – will go ahead as planned. The team will fly from UAE to Australia.
“We have support for cricket from the management. After the T20 World Cup, we are going to Australia to play a one-off Test match. Talks with Cricket Australia are in the pipeline. After the World Cup, the team will be heading there,” he added.
Earlier, Afghanistan’s 3-match ODI series against Pakistan, which was slotted to be hosted in Sri Lanka from September 3, was postponed to next year. The boards stated that logistical challenges were making it difficult for the Afghanistan contingent to travel to Sri Lanka,
Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s Under-19 team will tour Bangladesh for five one-dayers and a four-day game in Sylhet, which will be Afghanistan’s first major international series since the shifting of power in the country.
