Afghanistan to host Bangladesh in 3-match ODI series in the UAE
The dates for Afghanistan's upcoming three-match ODI series against Bangladesh in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were announced by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) on Sunday, September 29. The host venue for the series has yet to be announced.
While the series opener will be played on Wednesday, November 6, the remaining two fixtures have been scheduled on Saturday, November 9 and Monday, November 11. The two nations were supposed to square off in three T20Is and two Test matches in addition to the three ODIs back in July-August this year as part of the Future Tour Program (FTP).
Unfortunately, it had to be postponed due to extreme heat in the UAE and India - the two major home venues of the Afghanistan cricket team. Now, keeping in mind the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, the cricketing boards of both countries have decided to go ahead with the ODI series as planned.
Here's the schedule:
A memorable last 12 months for Afghanistan cricket
The last 12 months have been extremely memorable for Afghanistan Cricket. They finished sixth among 10 teams at the 2023 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup in India, defeating England, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Netherlands. This year though they further stamped their ascendency at the global level by reaching the semifinals of the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup which was co-hosted by the West Indies and the United States of America (USA) in June.
They put up a spirited performance throughout the campaign overcoming the challenges of New Zealand, Australia and Bangladesh apart from inflicting losses on Uganda and Papua New Guinea before losing the semifinal clash against South Africa. Recently, they hosted South Africa in a three-match ODI series in Sharjah, UAE, and went on to clinch it by a 2-1 margin - their first-ever ODI series victory over the Proteas.
Apart from bowling out South Africa for just 106 runs and claiming the first ODI, they registered their highest margin of victory by runs (177) in the 50-over format by winning the next clash. Temba Bavuma's men won the final encounter by seven wickets.
Nevertheless, Afghanistan will take inspiration from their series win over South Africa when they host Bangladesh in the upcoming three-match ODI series in the UAE in November.