Pakistan-Afghanistan ODI Series Shifted From UAE To Sri Lanka

In a recent development, the upcoming three-match One-day International series between Pakistan and Afghanistan has been shifted to the Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium in Hambantota, Sri Lanka.

Pakistan and Afghanistan will be locking horns in their first-ever bilateral series between September 01-05. The three-match ODI series was earlier scheduled to take place in the UniArab Emirates but it has now been shifted to Sri Lanka.

According to a report published in ESPNCricinfo, the reason behind the shift in the venue is the non-availability of the grounds in the United Arab Emirates.

The next few months will witness a lot of cricket action in the UAE, with the Emirates nation set to host the second phase of the Indian Premier League before staging the seventh edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup between October 17-November 14.

Afghanistan will host Pakistan for three ODIs at the Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium in Sri Lanka tentatively from Sept 1 to 5. #AFGvPAK

— Umar Farooq Kalson (@kalson) July 24, 2021

 

Pakistan-Afghanistan ODI series will be a part of the World Cup Super League

While the second phase of the 14th season of the IPL is scheduled to start from September 19, teams will begin their training from the second week of August, making the grounds unavailable for the ODI series.

Meanwhile, this is the first time that Pakistan and Afghanistan will square off against each other in a bilateral series.

The bitter neighbors have thus far locked horns in four ODIs with the Babar Azam-led unit winning each of the four encounters. The sides last met each other during the 2019 World Cup which proved to be an acrimonious affair with fans of both teams engaging in violence in the stands.

Afghanistan gave Pakistan a real fight but the Men in Green eventually won the game by three wickets.

Afghanistan's #Squad for the three-match ICC ODI Super League matches against @TheRealPCB in September #AFGvPAK pic.twitter.com/03elqNltGZ

— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) July 23, 2021

The three-match ODI series will be extremely crucial for both Pakistan and Afghanistan as it forms a part of the ICC ODI Super League.

Pakistan is currently placed fifth in the Super League table with 40 points while Afghanistan is languishing at the 8th spot after having accumulated just 30 points.

Also Read- 5 Indian Players Who Won “Man Of The Series Award” In Their Debut ODI Series