(Source X)
Afghanistan and South Africa are set to engage in their inaugural bilateral cricket series, with Afghanistan hosting for the first time. Scheduled for September, the series dates have been officially confirmed by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), underscoring their eagerness to compete against more top-tier teams.
This landmark series signifies a historic moment for both nations, marking their first-ever bilateral encounters. The matches are slated to take place exclusively at the renowned Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the UAE.
The schedule for the ODI series between Afghanistan and South Africa has been announced.
The upcoming series between Afghanistan and South Africa will exclusively feature ODIs, serving as crucial preparation for both teams ahead of the 2025 Champions Trophy set for February-March next year. The three ODIs are scheduled for September 18, 20, and 22, offering an ideal platform for teams to fine-tune their strategies and squad compositions before the prestigious tournament.
ACB chairman Mirwais Ashraf was pleased to announce the historic occasion. “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,” Ashraf was quoted as saying by the ACB.
“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 in his statement.
“Playing big teams regularly is a crucial part of our growth process” – ACB CEO Naseeb Khan
ACB CEO Naseeb Khan expressed delight in welcoming South Africa, highlighting Afghanistan’s substantial progress in recent years through regular matches against top-tier teams. Khan also voiced optimism for additional fixtures against leading teams in the near future.
“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,” Naseeb Khan stated.
“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.
Afghanistan has showcased impressive performances in recent ICC events, notably in the ODI World Cup 2023 held in India, where they made history by defeating prominent teams like Pakistan and England. Their momentum continued in the T20 World Cup 2024, where they advanced to the semi-finals, marking their first-ever semi-final appearance in a senior ICC tournament, although they were defeated by South Africa.
In previous encounters between Afghanistan and South Africa in ODIs, South Africa has emerged victorious on both occasions. The first match took place during the ODI World Cup 2019 in Cardiff, followed by another encounter in the ODI World Cup 2023 in Ahmedabad.
