India to host Afghanistan for three ODIs in March 2022

According to the FTP released by the Afghanistan Cricket Board, the team will be travelling to India for an away series after touring Bangladesh.

FILE PHOTO: Sharafuddin Ashraf and Karim Janat of Afghanistan during an ICC Men's T20 World Cup match against India on November 3 in Abu Dhabi.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will host the Afghanistan team for a three-match ODI series in March, just before the Indian Premier League.

According to the FTP released by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), the team will travel to Bangladesh for three ODIs and as many T20Is in February and March. It will then travel to India for a short tour as part of the ICC Super League, which counts towards the qualification for the 2023 World Cup.

“The two Boards are regularly in discussion. The exact dates and the venues are being worked on. The Indian team will be playing against Afghanistan in a bilateral ODI series for the first time and it will be a good exposure for the young cricketers,” sources, aware of the development, said.

India, which is the host of the 2023 World Cup, will qualify automatically along with the top seven teams from the Super League. The Super League is a 13-team tournament, which will happen over a period of two years and eventually determine the teams that qualify for the 2023 ODI World Cup.

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After the Taliban takeover, Afghanistan cricket has been severely hit with several tournaments getting called off. However, in January next year, the team is scheduled to host The Netherlands in Qatar for a three-match ODI series.

In 2018, Afghanistan made its Test debut against India in Bengaluru and the two teams haven’t played each other ever since - except for ICC and ACC tournaments. “Over the years, several Afghanistan players have featured in the IPL and this series will definitely be a big occasion for the Afghanistan team, which hasn’t played top-tier teams for a while due to various reasons. The players are looking forward to this opportunity,” the source said.

After missing out on international cricket for a while, the Afghanistan team has a busy schedule lined up for next year as it is set to play against Zimbabwe, Australia, Ireland and also feature in the Asia Cup and T20 World Cup.