Afghanistan to play five T20Is against Ireland in August

Afghanistan Cricket Board on Friday confirmed that the national men’s team will tour Ireland from August 9 to 17 and will play five T20Is against their hosts.

Afghanistan’s tour was initially scheduled to include a Test match and three ODIs, but the tour was rescheduled to a later date with both sides looking to maximize their T20 cricket exposure in the lead-up to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 in October, ACB said in a statement.

ACB CEO Naseeb Khan said: “Afghanistan have ample experience of playing Ireland for over one decade, and it’s turning out to be a nice rivalry between the two teams. The confirmation of the dates for the series is a positive sight, as part of our build-up to the T20 World Cup in Australia.

“At the same time, we are looking forward to rescheduling our multi-format (a test and three ODIs) tour of Ireland in the near future,” he said.

Afghanistan last played Ireland in a T20I series in March 2021 in Greater Noida, India with Afghanistan winning the three-match series 2-1.

Both teams have met 19 times before in men’s T20Is, with Afghanistan dominating the head-to-head record by winning 14 of these games. Ireland won 4, while one game ended as no result.