Afghanistan will play three ODIs with SA
For South Africa, the three ODIs in Sharjah will precede five limited-overs matches against Ireland, also in the UAE. South Africa cricket team and Afghanistan cricket team are set to play their first bilateral series, with a three-match ODI series scheduled in Sharjah between September 18 and 22. The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) will host the series, Cricket South Africa (CSA) said in a statement.
The series was not originally part of the Future Tours Programme (FTP) and CSA president Lawson Naidoo said it marked an “important milestone” in the partnership between the two boards. The series will end five days before South Africa’s scheduled matches – two T20Is and three ODIs – against Ireland, which begin on September 27 in Abu Dhabi.
All-round team as evident from their recent performances
All-round team as evident from their performances in their recent ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 and the recent ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, Naidu said. “This is an important milestone in our cricketing relationship, and we look forward to a competitive and entertaining series.Afghanistan and South Africa will play a three-match ODI series in September, promising exciting cricket action.
These fixtures were not initially part of our FTP. Nevertheless, based on our productive conversations with our counterparts at Cricket South Africa, we have come to the conclusion that we will host the Proteas for an ODI series in September,” ACB chairman Mirwais Ashraf said. They are a great team, and we look forward to hosting them and playing with them regularly in the future.
Another chance to impress against the country
Before heading to the UAE, South Africa are scheduled to play two Tests and three T20Is against the West Indies in the Caribbean, starting on August 7. For Afghanistan, the games will provide another chance to impress against a Test-playing nation and it will come less than a week after their first Test against New Zealand in Greater Noida, India, which will be played from September 9-13.
Mr. Naseeb Khan, CEO of ACB
We have consistently played highly ranked teams over the last two or three years, which has improved the quality of our play significantly. Competing with top-tier teams gives our players a chance to identify areas of improvement and boost their confidence. Playing big teams on a regular basis is an important part of our development process, and we aim to provide our team with more opportunities 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. CSA Chairman Lawson Naidoo commented: We are excited to begin this historic ODI series with Afghanistan, who have become a very competitive all-round team as evidenced by their recent performances at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 and most recently the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. This is an important milestone in our cricketing relationship, and we look forward to a competitive and entertaining series.
Productive conversations with our counterparts at Cricket South Africa
These matches were not initially part of our FTP. Nevertheless, based on our productive conversations with our counterparts at Cricket, we concluded that we would host the Proteas for an ODI series in September. They are a great team, and we look forward to hosting them and playing with them regularly in the future, said ACB Chairman Mirwais Ashraf.
Ashraf’s CSA counterpart Lawson Naidoo said
We are excited to begin this historic ODI series with Afghanistan, who have become a very competitive all-round team as evidenced by their recent performances at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 and most recently the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. This is an important milestone in our cricketing relationship, and we look forward to a competitive and entertaining series.
Conclusion
The South African national team is scheduled to arrive in the UAE on 14 September. Meanwhile, the Afghanistan national team will depart from Delhi on the same day for the UAE, where it will play the one-off Test against New Zealand, which will be played in Greater Noida, India from 9 to 13 September.
ACB Chairman Mr. Mirwais Ashraf expressed his delight at the series announcement: “The recent ICC meeting was highly productive for us. In addition to confirming the dates for the one-off Test match against New Zealand, we reached an agreement with Cricket Africa for a three-match ODI series in September.
These matches were not initially part of our FTP. However, based on our productive conversations with our counterparts at Cricket South, we concluded that we would host the Proteas for an ODI series in September. They are a great team, and we look forward to hosting them and playing them regularly in the future.
