Afghanistan could host Pakistan for ODIs, T20Is in October in UAE

Afghanistan and Pakistan might play a bilateral series in October ahead of the ICC World T20 in 2021. According to a Pakistan Cricket Board source, the series could consist of three ODIs and three T20Is. Additionally, Afghanistan would be the ones hosting the series in the UAE. The matches could be played in Abu Dhabi or Dubai. This comes in the wake of senior Afghanistan player Mohammad Nabi meeting Prime Minister Imran Khan recently.

In that meeting, Nabi stressed that bilateral series must be played between the two nations on a regular basis. Afghanistan and Pakistan have played each other in multi-nation tournaments but they have never played a bilateral series together. Afghanistan has toured Pakistan but they have played against the A side quite often.

The PCB source mentioned, “The plan is for the Pakistan team to stop over in UAE and play the series in August as the Indian cricket board is also likely to host the remaining matches of its unfinished Indian Premier League in the UAE sometime in September-October. And a number of Afghan players including their captain, Rashid Khan, Nabi, Mujeeb ur Rehman and a few others take part in the IPL for different teams.”

Pakistan to tackle some logistical issues

However, the Pakistan Cricket Board is believed to have said that the series should be held around August. The reason being Pakistan will be hosting England for the first time at home after 16 years for a couple of T20Is. This series will take place before the ICC World T20 2021. England are also scheduled to tour Bangladesh for a series.

The IPL 2021 might be played between the September to October window with the matches taking place in the UAE. The World T20 might also be played in the UAE, with ICC expected to announce the decision on June 1.

India’s five-Test series against England will potentially end by September 14. The BCCI is planning to request the England and Wales Cricket Board to ensure the gap between the second and third Tests be reduced from nine days to five days. With Afghanistan and Pakistan in the UAE, this makes the logistics convenient.