The three-match ODI series between Afghanistan and Pakistan has been moved to Sri Lanka from UAE due to the non availability of venues in the region. The series that will commence from September 1 at the Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium in Hambantota. According to a Cricbuzz report, 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.
ACB had also contemplated staging the series in Zimbabwe but had to shelve their plans due to the rise in Covid cases in the country. "Yes, we will host the ODI series against Pakistan in Sri Lanka," ACB's media manager Hikmat Hassan told Cricbuzz on Saturday. This will be the first ever bilateral series featuring these two countries and the matches carry more significance since they come under the ICC ODI Super League. The Pakistan-Afghanistan series will count towards points in the ICC Super League, where Pakistan currently sit in fifth with 40 points from nine matches, and Afghanistan are eighth with 30 points, having won all three their matches so far. Afghanistan have played four matches against Pakistan previously, three of them in the UAE and one at Leeds during the 2019 World Cup. Aside from having never played a bilateral series against Pakistan, they are also yet to beat them. Hambantota stadium last hosted an ODI in February 2020, when Sri Lanka beat West Indies by 161 runs.
