DUBAI: Cricket South Africa (CSA) and the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) have announced the first-ever bilateral series between the two nations outside of ICC tournaments.
The series, comprising three One Day Internationals (ODIs), will be held from September 18 to September 22, 2024, at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the United Arab Emirates. The matches will be hosted by the ACB.
South Africa and Afghanistan have previously clashed twice in the ODI format, both times during ICC Men’s Cricket World Cups. South Africa emerged victorious on both occasions, in the 2019 and 2023 editions of the tournament.
The teams have also faced each other three times in T20 Internationals, all during Men’s T20 World Cups (2010, 2016, and 2024), with South Africa winning each encounter. Their most recent clash was in the semi-final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, where South Africa secured a dominant win over Afghanistan.
CSA Chairman Lawson Naidoo described the upcoming series as a “significant milestone” in the cricketing relations between the two nations. He expressed enthusiasm for the event, stating, “We are excited to embark on this historic ODI series with Afghanistan, who have become a very competitive all-round team as evidenced by their recent performances in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 and most recently at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. This is a significant milestone in our cricketing relations, and we look forward to a competitive and entertaining series.”
ACB Chairman Mirwais Ashraf echoed Naidoo’s sentiments, emphasizing the importance of the series for Afghanistan’s cricketing landscape. “These fixtures were not initially part of our FTP. Still, based on our productive negotiations with our counterparts at Cricket South Africa, we concluded that we will host the Proteas for an ODI series in September. They are an excellent team, and we are eagerly looking forward to hosting them and playing them regularly in the future.”
