Photo Credit: Afghanistan Cricket Board
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has announced that it will host South Africa for a three-match ODI series from September 18 to 22 in the United Arab Emirates. This will be the first bilateral cricket series between the two countries hosted by Afghanistan.
The first ODI will take place on September 18, with the second and third ODIs scheduled for September 20 and 22 at Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the UAE.
The South African team will arrive in the UAE on September 14, while the Afghanistan team will depart from Delhi for the UAE on the same day after their one-off Test against New Zealand, which runs from September 9 to 13 in Greater Noida, India.
ACB Chairman Mr. Mirwais Ashraf expressed his excitement about the series announcement, “The recent ICC meeting was quite productive for us. Apart from confirming dates for the one-off Test match against New Zealand, we reached an agreement with Cricket South Africa for a series of three ODIs in September.”
“These fixtures were not initially part of our FTP. Still, based on our productive negotiations with our counterparts at Cricket South Africa, we concluded that we will host the Proteas for an ODI series in September. They are an excellent team, and we are eagerly looking forward to hosting them and playing them regularly in the future.” He added.
ACB CEO Mr. Naseeb Khan stated, “We have consistently played higher-ranked teams over the past two or three years, which has significantly improved the quality of our game. Competing against top-tier teams allows our players to identify areas for improvement and boosts their confidence. Playing big teams regularly is a crucial part of our growth process, and we aim to provide more opportunities for our team to compete in bilateral cricket against these top teams.”
“Our team has performed well in ICC events over the last two years, and we are focused on making our team equally competitive in bilateral cricket.” He added.
CSA Chairman Lawson Naidoo commented: “We are excited to embark on this historic ODI series with Afghanistan, who have become a very competitive all-round team as evidenced by their recent performances in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 and most recently at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. This is a significant milestone in our cricketing relations, and we look forward to a competitive and entertaining series”
Afghanistan and South Africa have met twice in ODIs, during the 2019 and 2023 ICC Cricket World Cups. This will be their first bilateral series, marking a milestone for Afghanistan Cricket. The ACB is also working to reschedule its all-format home series with Bangladesh, with dates to be announced soon.
Fixtures
Wednesday, 18 September: Afghanistan vs South Africa – Sharjah Cricket Stadium, UAE
Friday, 20 September: Afghanistan vs South Africa – Sharjah Cricket Stadium, UAE
Sunday, 22 September: Afghanistan vs South Africa – Sharjah Cricket Stadium, UAE
