Afghanistan and Pakistan had never played each other in any bilateral series until March this year when the former hosted a young Pakistani side for a three-match T20I series in Sharjah, UAE – which Afghanistan won by 2-1. Afghanistan vs Pakistan ODI series will serve as a preparatory series for the teams for Asia Cup 2023.
So far the neighbouring countries have only played each other in Asia Cups & World Cups before this series with Pakistan winning all of those close encounters.
Host Country for Afghanistan vs Pakistan ODI series
With the first-ever bilateral ODI series scheduled this August, the only question was the hosting country. Either it will be UAE, where Afghanistan has hosted their majority of home series, or Sri Lanka/Qatar? The selection of Sri Lanka as host was made keeping in mind the Asia Cup 2023 which is slated to start from 30th August in both Pakistan & Sri Lanka in a hybrid model. Pakistan will be taking on Nepal in the opening game at Multan.
The ACB official while speaking to the press said:
“As Afghanistan does not have any stadium, playing in Sri Lanka will be good preparation for the Asia Cup and the World Cup to follow soon after.”
“We were also keen to host these matches in the UAE or Qatar, but it was not feasible considering the extreme heat of the climate there,”
The beautiful city of Hambantota is the most likely venue to host the ODI series.
In addition to this, the two boards have given their approval for Sri Lanka to host the series, keeping in mind that the Island nation will co-host the much-awaited Asia Cup 2023.
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Series Schedule
The official schedule for Afghanistan vs Pakistan ODI series is yet to be released by Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), but it is believed that the series will take place in the third week of August.
The President of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), Shammi Silva, told a press conference on Tuesday, also confirmed that they are in contact with Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) regarding the aforementioned ODI series.
“We are having a discussion with them [ACB]. They are very interested and I think it will go through, so we are happy to help our Asian countries and other countries as well,” Silva said.
The schedule for the ODI series is yet to be announced and is likely to be announced in the coming days. Speaking about Pakistan, the Babar Azam-led side is in the midst of a two-Test series in Sri Lanka against the home side.
LPL, Asia Cup & World Cup
After this series, some of the Pakistani players including Babar will take part in the Lanka Premier League (LPL) from July 30th. Babar will lead the Colombo Strikers in the tournament, which will be his first appearance in the Sri Lankan league.
With the Asia Cup and the ODI World Cup looming on the horizon, both sides will look to cash in & make the most from the ODI matches and get a balanced squad just in time for the aforementioned events. The two sides will also clash in the ODI World Cup in India on October 23, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
