Afghanistan to Host Bangladesh for Crucial Three-Match ODI Series in UAE This November

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The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has confirmed that Afghanistan will host Bangladesh for a three-match One Day International (ODI) series in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from November 6 to November 11, 2024.

The matches will serve as crucial preparation for both teams ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy, set to take place in Pakistan in February 2025. The ODI series was initially part of a larger all-format tour, which included T20Is and Tests, as scheduled in Afghanistan's Future Tour Program (FTP).

The tour was supposed to take place in July-August 2024 but was postponed due to extreme heat in the UAE and India, where Afghanistan typically hosts its home series. After extensive discussions between the Afghanistan and Bangladesh cricket boards, it was agreed to proceed with only the ODI leg of the tour.

The three-match series will kick off on November 6, with the second and third ODIs scheduled for November 9 and 11, respectively. While the exact venues in the UAE have yet to be finalized, the matches promise to be critical in preparing both sides for the upcoming ICC tournaments.

Bangladesh had originally declined to tour in the summer due to the high temperatures, which led to the postponement of the full series. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has expressed its eagerness for the ODI series, particularly given Bangladesh's limited number of ODIs this year.

BCB President Faruque Ahmed confirmed that the board was keen on these matches as part of the team's Champions Trophy preparation, as Bangladesh has played only three ODIs in 2024, with three more scheduled against the West Indies later in the year.

Afghanistan will enter the series with significant momentum, having recently secured a historic 2-1 ODI series victory over South Africa. Following the Bangladesh series, Afghanistan is set to tour Zimbabwe for an all-format series.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, last played an ODI series against Sri Lanka at home, which they won 2-1. Bangladesh also holds an overall edge over Afghanistan in ODIs, having won 10 out of their 16 encounters.