Afghanistan to host South Africa in historic ODI series

The two boards issued a joint release on July 31 to mark South Africa’s first-ever bilateral tour against Afghanistan. Three ODIs will be played between September 18-22 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, UAE. 

"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," ACB Chairman Mirwais Ashraf said.

The Men in Green and Gold have played two ODIs against Afghanistan in the past - in the 2019 and 2023 ODI World Cup respectively- defeating the Atalans on both occasions. They’ve also squared off thrice in T20Is, in 2010, 2016, and this year’s T20 World Cup, with South Africa winning each game.

"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," Ashraf's CSA counterpart Lawson Naidoo added.

Last week, the ACB announced Afghanistan’s one-off Test against New Zealand, the first-ever in cricket history. The match is scheduled in Greater Noida, India, from September 9-13.