The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) on Monday confirmed dates for the all-format tour to Sri Lanka and the all-format home series against Ireland in the United Arab Emirates.

Afghanistan will first tour Sri Lanka for a one-off test, three ODIs, and three T20I matches from February 2 to 21, and will then host Ireland for as many matches from February 28 to March 18 in the UAE.

AfghanAtalan’s away tour to Sri Lanka begins with a solitary test match at the Sinhalese Sports Club Cricket Ground in Colombo from February 2 to 6.

The one-off test match will be followed by three ODI matches which are scheduled for February 9, 11, and 14 at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo, followed by three T20Is on February 17, 19, and 21 at the Dambulla International Cricket Stadium.

From Sri Lanka, Afghanistan will travel to the UAE where they will host Ireland for an all-format series comprising a test, three ODIs, and three T20Is from February 28 to March 18.

AfghanAtalan’s home series against Ireland will also begin with a one-off test match at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi from February 28 to March 3. This will be followed by three ODI matches on March 7, 9, and 12, and three T20I matches on March 15, 17, and 18 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

Mirwais Ashraf, Chairman of the Afghanistan Cricket Board, on Monday said fruitful discussions with Sri Lanka cricket officials led to the inclusion of three ODIs in this tour, which already included three T20Is and a Test match.

He said: “The addition of these three ODIs is a significant move to ensure a complete and comprehensive tour which not only provides good exposure to Afghanistan Cricket but will also foster stronger relations between the two nations. Playing Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka is always tricky but is a challenge that AfghanAtalan can easily embrace.”

Meanwhile, Naseeb Khan, the CEO of the Afghanistan Cricket Board, expressed his pleasure over the action-packed season for AfghanAtalan for the next few months which will help in the run up to the upcoming ICC Men’s T20I World Cup in the Caribbean & USA in June.

“The year 2024 is a very busy and full of high voltage competitions for the Afghanistan national team which is a very good and positive sign for Afghanistan cricket. The upcoming tours of India, and Sri Lanka, and then the home series against Ireland will help us to prepare the team for the much-important T20 World Cup. Eagerly looking for the multiple series upfront.”

The confirmation of the dates for these two tours comes just days ahead of the start of Afghansitan’s T20I series against India.

The event kicks off on Thursday, January 11, with the first T20I scheduled to be staged in Mohali’s Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, followed by the second on January 14 in Indore and the final on the 17th in Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Cricket fans in Afghanistan will get to watch all three matches against India live on Ariana Television after ATN secured exclusive rights to broadcast the series.

Thursday’s cricket fest will start at 5pm Kabul time so be sure to stay tuned!