Dates for Afghanistan vs Bangladesh T20 series announced

The Afghanistan cricket team has taken phenomenal strides since their foray into world cricket. And following their scintillating form, the associate nation was awarded Test Status by the ICC last year in July, alongside Ireland. Now, the Afghans are all prepped up to host Bangladesh for a T20series in Dehradun. The series will act as a preparatory ground for the ICC World T20 to be scheduled in 2020.

However, the series was initially slated to be held as ODIs but the format was recently altered during the meeting of the board of directors in Mirpur. With the WT20 just a little more than a year away, BCB chief Nazmul Hasan complained that the Tigers are not playing enough T20I matches and hence the alteration.

The dates for the three-match T20I series between hosts Afghanistan and Bangladesh have also been confirmed. The series kicks off on June 3 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Dehradun, India. The announcement came on Wednesday (May 9) after both cricket boards came to an agreement. The matches will be held on June 3, 5 and 7 and will begin at 8:00 PM IST. The three games precede Afghanistan’s Test debut against India in Bengaluru on June 14.

Good opportunity for both sides

Speaking about the developments, Afghanistan Cricket Board chairman Atif Mashal said, “We are delighted to host Bangladesh for the T20I series in Dehradun in early June which will be a good opportunity for both sides to play competitive cricket. Similarly, cricket fans have also previously enjoyed games between the two sides and this will be yet another opportunity for them to witness their sides play against each other.”

This is the first bilateral T20I series between Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The teams have faced each other in only one T20I before, with Bangladesh registering a nine-wicket win during the World T20 in 2014. Bangladesh, however, is ranked 10th in T20Is – two places below Afghanistan