AFG Vs PAK: Pakistan Issues Visas To Afghanistan Cricketers, ODI Series To Take Place From September 3

Afghanistan vs Pakistan: As per the travel plan, the entire Afghan team will take a road trip to Pakistan which will be followed by a flight to Colombo. The series starts on 3 September in Sri Lanka.

Image Courtesy: AFP

Afghanistan vs Pakistan ODI is set to take place in all likelihood from 3 September 2021. There isn't an official confirmation on the series yet but Pakistan has issued the visas to Afghanistan players, which has made it almost clear that the ODI series will take place in Sri Lanka. The visas have been issued to the Afghans to ensure that they reach Sri Lanka via Pakistan and United Arab Emirates (UAE) as the commercial flights have been banned from Kabul  after the Taliban took over Afghanistan. 

Earlier, the series was scheduled to be played in Afghanistan, but due to the hostile takeover of the tribal nation by the Taliban, there cannot be any cricket matches hosted in the country. Thus, both the boards decided to host the series in Sri Lanka as it is a neutral venue. The series cannot be hosted in India as the Pakistani players are not allowed to play in India. 

Pakistan's Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Fawad Chaudhry shared this news from his official Twitter account: He wrote: “Pakistan has issued visas to the Afghan cricket team, we hope and pray that the Afghan cricket team will bring smiles on the faces of its people." 

پاکستان نے افغانستان کی کرکٹ ٹیم کو ویزہ جاری کر دیا ہے، ہم امید اور دعا کرتے ہیں کہ افغان کرکٹ ٹیم اپنے عوام کی چہروں پر مسکراہٹیں لائے گی...... “زما دا اخلاص نہ ڈکے نیکے حیلے اؤ دعاگانے تاسو سرا دی۔” #AfganistanCricketTeam

— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) August 22, 2021

As per the travel plan, the entire Afghanistan team will take a road trip to Pakistan which will be followed by a flight to Colombo. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)  had offered to host the series but the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) denied the request. 

Now, the series will take place in Hambantota, Sri Lanka from 3 September 2021. Earlier, Afghanistan Cricket Board said that the Taliban has decided to allow cricket matches to be played in the country, but, there is still no confirmation about women's cricket.