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Afghanistan ( Image Credit: Twitter)
The Afghanistan-Pakistan ODI series will now be played in Sri Lanka. The three-match series was initially scheduled in UAE but with the second leg of IPL and T20 World Cup lined up, UAE denied staging the series. The matches will now be played at the Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium in Hambantota, Sri Lanka. The series is set to commence on September 1.
“ACB had approached UAE and Oman for hosting the series against Pakistan but both countries failed to accommodate them due to the upcoming assignments. The remainder of IPL 2021 will be played in UAE in September and the country will also host the World T20 alongside Oman after the completion of India’s premier T20 competition,” reported Cricbuzz on July 24.
This will be the first instance when Afghanistan and Pakistan will play a bilateral ODI series. Afghanistan yesterday announced the squad for the series and named Hashmatullah Shahidi as their skipper. Meanwhile, Pakistan are line up to face West Indies in the five-match T20I series followed by two Tests. As per the original schedule, the series is set to start on July 27. However, a minor change in schedule is expected after a modification in the West Indies - Australia ODI series.
The second ODI between West Indies and Australia was postponed after a member of the West Indies contingent tested positive for COVID-19. The ODI will now be played on June 24, pushing the final ODI to June 26. It won’t be possible for West Indies to play back to back games thus the Pakistan series could be delayed by one or two days. Pakistan come into the series after a humiliating tour of England where they lost the ODI and T20I series. West Indies, on the other hand, thrashed Australia 4-1 in their most recent T20I series.
Afghanistan squad
Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Sediq Atal, Rahmat Shah (vice-captain), Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), Najib Zadran, Ikram Alikhil, Shahid Kamal, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Azmat Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Abdul Rahman, Naveen Ul Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazal Haq Farooqi and Noor Ahmad Lakanwal.