SHARJAH: Afghanistan and South Africa will play in a bilateral series for the first time in history as the three-ODI series will be played in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE) from September 18-22.
Cricket South Africa (CSA) and the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) have confirmed the series, which will be the first meeting between the two sides outside of ICC events.
Afghanistan and the Proteas have met twice in the 50-over match in the 2019 and 2023 ODI World Cups, with South Africa winning both times.
On the other hand, in T20I, they have faced each other thrice in the T20 World Cups in 2010, 2016 and 2024 where the Proteas also won each time.
The last meeting between the two sides was at the 2024 FIFA World Cup T20, where Aiden Markram-led South Africa defeated Rashid Khan’s side in a one-sided semi-final.
CSA chairman Lawson Naidoo declared the tour a “significant milestone” in South Africa and Afghanistan-cricket relations.
“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 the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024,” said Naidoo .
“This is a significant milestone in our cricketing relationship and we look forward to a competitive and entertaining series.”
Meanwhile, ACB chairman Mirwais Ashraf said he is looking forward to the match against South Africa as they are an excellent team.
“These devices were not originally part of our FTP. Nevertheless, based on our productive discussions with our counterparts at Cricket South Africa, we have come to the conclusion that we will host the Proteas for the ODI series in September. They are an excellent team and we look forward to hosting and playing them regularly in the future,” said Ashraf.
