Image Courtesy- ICC
The upcoming three-match ODI series between Afghanistan and Pakistan has been shifted to the Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium in Hambantota, Sri Lanka. Both the teams will be looking forward to their first-ever bilateral series, which will be played between September 1 and 5.
As per the report published in ESPNCricinfo, The three-match ODI bilateral series was earlier scheduled to happen in the UAE but due to the unavailability of the stadium because of the second phase of IPL 2021, it has been shifted to Sri Lanka.
Afghanistan will host Pakistan for three ODIs at the Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium in Sri Lanka tentatively from Sept 1 to 5. #AFGvPAK
— Umar Farooq Kalson (@kalson) July 24, 2021
The second phase of IPL 2021 is expected to start on September 19. And the IPL teams are expected to begin their training from the second week of August. Which makes all three venues in the UAE unavailable to host the bilateral series.
The Afghanistan-Pakistan series will be part of the ICC Super League which is an important qualification round for the ICC 2023 World Cup. Pakistan cricket team is currently placed fifth with 40 points from nine matches while Afghanistan is in the eighth spot with 30 points.
Pakistan and Afghanistan have played each other in four ODIs, and the men in green have emerged winners in all the games. The last time both teams saw each other in an ODI was during the 2019 World Cup in England.