Afghanistan cricket – UAE to host Afghanistan’s home games for next five years

Afghanistan will play home games in the UAE for the next five years. The Afghan Cricket Board (ACB) and the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) signed an agreement to cement the deal. As part of the agreement, Afghanistan will play a three-match T20I series against the UAE in each of the five years.

An ACB statement said the ECB would “provide invaluable logistical support to the Afghanistan Cricket Board, including visa assistance and office space”.

Given the political situation in Afghanistan, it remains off-limits to international teams. The situation further escalated as the Taliban took over in August 2021. Several ACB staffers fled the country immediately, and obtaining visas for players stationed in Afghanistan to play abroad has since become an even bigger challenge. The board then arranged UAE residency visas for about two dozen players.

According to the ICC’s Future Tourism Program (FTP), Afghanistan will host the 2023 ODI World Cup next year, hosting Australia, Pakistan and the West Indies in three ODIs, and Zimbabwe in various forms. In the UAE, these can be spread across various venues in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah.

ECB Secretary Mubashir Usmani said of the developments: “Both parties, the UAE Cricket Board and the Afghan Cricket Board have a long and friendly relationship and we are happy to support the ACB in ensuring that they have A cricket home.

“We are also grateful to the Afghanistan Cricket Board for agreeing to play a series of T20I matches with the UAE team every year. This will provide valuable opportunities for our UAE team and help their development.”