Exciting Cricket Clash: Afghanistan to Host South Africa in ODI Series

Afghanistan is set to host South Africa for a three-match ODI series in September, as confirmed by both cricket boards through a joint announcement on July 31. This series, scheduled to be played in Sharjah from September 18, marks the first bilateral cricket engagement between the two nations and will serve as preparation for next year's Champions Trophy.

The South African team, known as the Proteas, has faced Afghanistan only twice in One Day Internationals, during the 2019 and 2023 World Cups. Their most recent encounter was in the semifinals of the T20 World Cup held in Trinidad.

Mirwais Ashraf, Chairman of the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), mentioned that the matches were not part of their original Future Tours Programme. However, he explained that fruitful discussions with Cricket South Africa led to the arrangement of this ODI series in September. He expressed enthusiasm about hosting the Proteas, describing them as an outstanding team, and anticipated playing against them regularly in the future.

Lawson Naidoo, Ashraf's counterpart at Cricket South Africa (CSA), shared his excitement about the upcoming series, noting Afghanistan's impressive performances in recent ICC tournaments. He highlighted that this series represents a significant step in the cricketing relationship between the two countries and expects it to be both competitive and entertaining.

Afghanistan-South Africa ODI Series Schedule:

- September 18: 1st ODI, Sharjah

- September 20: 2nd ODI, Sharjah

- September 22: 3rd ODI, Sharjah