Afghanistan set to play multi-format series against Sri Lanka, Ireland before T20 World Cup
The one-off Test will be followed by a three-match ODI and T20I series, which will begin on February 9 and 17, respectively.
KABUL: The Afghanistan Cricket Board announced a tour to Sri Lanka and a series against Ireland in the UAE ahead of the T20 World Cup. Afghanistan players will travel to Sri Lanka for a one-off Test on February 2 at the Sinhalese Sports Club Cricket Ground in Colombo. The one-off Test will be followed by a three-match ODI and T20I series, which will begin on February 9 and 17, respectively.
The Afghanistan team will stay in Colombo for the ODI series as all the matches will be played at the R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium. The team will then move to Dambulla for the T20I series. After the conclusion of their Sri Lanka tour, the Blue Tigers will travel to the UAE and play against Ireland from February 28 to March 18. The series will have the same format, as Afghanistan will play a one-off Test and then play three-match white ball series (T20I, ODI).
The one-off Test will be played at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi and both teams will travel to Sharjah for both white-ball series. The ODIs will be played on March 7, 9 and 12, with the T20Is beginning on March 15.
Afghanistan Cricket Board CEO Naseeb Khan talked about the upcoming tour and said as quoted from the ICC, "The year 2024 is a very busy and full of high-voltage competitions for the Afghanistan national team." "The upcoming tours of India, Sri Lanka, and then the home series against Ireland will help us to prepare the team for the much-important T20 World Cup. (We're) eagerly looking forward to the multiple series," Naseeb added. Before travelling to Sri Lanka, Afghanistan will play a three-match T20I series in their maiden India tour which will begin on Thursday.