Afghanistan set for first West Indies tour
Afghanistan will embark on their first tour of the Caribbean in June for six limited-overs matches with West Indies.
The two sides will contest three Twenty20 internationals at Warner Park in St Kitts before the same number of one-day internationals in St Lucia, at the Darren Sammy Cricket Ground.
Afghanistan have only faced West Indies once before with the former coming out on top in a World Twenty20 clash in Nagpur last year – Najibullah Zadran top scoring with an unbeaten 48 in a narrow six-run victory.
They will travel to the Caribbean in buoyant mood after winning seven of their last nine matches – including an ODI series win over Ireland last week.
It is a very different situation for the hosts, who have lost their last six limited-overs matches, a statistic they will hope to improve on in the ongoing series with Pakistan.
Another three T20s, three ODI and three Tests are still be played against Pakistan before Afghanistan arrive on May 30, with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) hoping to boost morale ahead of the 2019 World Cup.
"We are looking forward to welcoming the Afghans to the Caribbean for this short series," said WICB manager of cricket operations Roland Holder.
"The series promises to be compelling, considering the result of the match between the two sides at the last ICC World Twenty20 in India, and Afghanistan’s gradual improvement over the last few years.
"It will also be an important series for our side, as they look to move up in the ICC World Rankings in the two formats, and continue their quest to qualify for the 2019 ICC World Cup in England and Wales."