New Delhi [India], July 31 : Cricket South Africa (CSA) and the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) announced the first-ever bilateral series between them will be played from September 18-22 in the United Arab Emirates.
This ODI series will be the first meeting between Afghanistan and South Africa outside of ICC tournaments, with all three games set to be hosted by ACB at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, as per a release by the ICC.
The two sides have met twice in the ODI format before, in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cups 2019 and 2023, with South Africa emerging victorious on both occasions. Similarly, they've met thrice in T20Is before, in Men's T20 World Cups (2010, 2016, 2024), with Proteas winning on all occasions.
Their last meeting was in the semi-final of the Men's T20 World Cup 2024, where South Africa raced to a formidable win over Afghanistan.
CSA Chairman Lawson Naidoo called the tour a significant milestone in South Africa and Afghanistan's cricketing relations.
"We are excited to embark on this historic ODI series with Afghanistan, who have become a very competitive all-round team as evidenced by their recent performances in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 and most recently at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024. This is a significant milestone in our cricketing relations, and we look forward to a competitive and entertaining series," Naidoo said, as quoted by the ICC.
ACB Chairman Mirwais Ashraf commented: "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."
ODI Series Schedule:
Wednesday, September 18:
Afghanistan vs South Africa, 1st ODI, Sharjah Cricket Stadium, UAE.
Friday, September 20:
Afghanistan vs South Africa, 2nd ODI, Sharjah Cricket Stadium, UAE.
Sunday, September 22:
Afghanistan vs South Africa, 3rd ODI, Sharjah Cricket Stadium, UAE.
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