KABUL (SW): Afghanistan will play five one-day internationals (ODIs) and two Twenty20 (T20) internationals against Zimbabwe in a return series to be held in Dubai later this month.
Afghanistan toured Zimbabwe in October, winning the ODI and T20I series, 2-3 and 0-2 respectively, to become the first Associate nation to achieve that feat against a Test-playing country.
However, after the humiliating defeats at Queens Sports Club, Zimbabwe will see the return series against Afghanistan as a golden opportunity to redeem themselves and restore some lost pride, News Day has reported.
Although both Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) and the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) are yet to make an official announcement, the tour is scheduled to begin on December 22 and will precede Zimbabwe’s tour of Bangladesh for two Tests in January.
Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe Under-19 cricket team is set to have more game time ahead of their participation at next year’s Under-19 Cricket World Cup, following reports of a planned series against Afghanistan.
According to Hindustan Times, Zimbabwe U-19 is set to play the Afghanistan Under-19 side in three ODIs and two T-20 matches at the newly-built Greater Noida cricket stadium, 30 kilometres from the Indian capital, New Delhi.
ACB officials and the Greater Noida authority met at the weekend to discuss technical and legal issues before signing the memorandum of understanding (MoU).
“Discussions on signing an agreement with Afghanistan are in a positive direction. We hope that the two countries will practice and play at the Greater Noida cricket stadium after signing the MoU next week,” Deepak Agarwal, chief executive officer of the Greater Noida authority, told the HT.
The Zimbabwe Under-19, who succumbed to a 4-0 whitewash defeat in Bangladesh, will be hoping for a better display against Afghanistan to boost their confidence ahead of the World Cup.
The ACB has vowed to ensure live TV telecast of the matches against Zimbabwe in the UAE. It has also hinted to move the matches to India if the visa issues with the UAE authorities did not get resolved.
ENDS
