Afghanistan to host South Africa in historic bilateral series in UAE

TOI Sports Desk / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Jul 31, 2024, 14:59 IST

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Afghanistan hosted South Africa in their first bilateral series, playing three ODIs in the UAE from Sept. 18-22 at Sharjah Cricket Stadium. The ACB announced the series after the ICC meeting, which also confirmed their one-off Test against New Zealand. South Africa, having previously faced Afghanistan only in World Cups, welcomed the competitive challenge posed by the hosts.

Afghanistan to host South Africa in historic bilateral series in UAE

Afghanistan cricket players (Getty Images)

Afghanistan will host South Africa for a historic bilateral series of three One Day Internationals (ODIs) from September 18 to 22, taking place in the UAE's Sharjah Cricket Stadium, according to the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB). This will follow Afghanistan's one-off Test match against New Zealand scheduled from September 9 to 13 in Greater Noida, India.
"The recent International Cricket Council meeting was quite productive for us," Reuters quoted ACB chairman Mirwais Ashraf."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."
This series marks the first time Afghanistan and South Africa will face each other in a bilateral ODI series. Both teams have previously met in ODIs twice during World Cups in 2019 and 2023. Additionally, they have clashed three times in T20 World Cups, including in 2010, 2016, and the semi-finals of this year's edition, with South Africa winning all those encounters.
"They're an excellent team, and we are eagerly looking forward to hosting them and playing them regularly in future," Ashraf added.

Cricket South Africa chief Lawson Naidoo also expressed enthusiasm for the series.
"We're 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," Naidoo stated. "This is a significant milestone in our cricketing relations, and we look forward to a competitive and entertaining series."
Both boards look forward to enhancing their cricketing relations with this series, as Afghanistan continues to grow as a formidable team in international cricket.

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TOI Sports Desk

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