The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) Afghanistan have officially announced the schedule for their historic white-ball series against Sri Lanka, marking the first time they will host the island nation for a bilateral tour. The six-match series comprising three T20 Internationals and three One Day Internationals will be played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from March 13 to 25.
Full Schedule: T20 in Sharjah, ODIs in Dubai
The series will begin with a T20I match at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium where all three matches will be played on March 13, 15 and 17. Once the T20 matches are over, the action will shift to the Dubai International Cricket Stadium for the ODI series scheduled for March 20, 22 and 25.
🚨 𝐍𝐄𝐖𝐒! 🚨
We are hosting @OfficialSLC for the first time in our history! 👏👏
🏏: 3 ODIs and 3 T20Is
📅: March 13-25, 2026
🏟️: Sharjah, Dubai
🔗: https://t.co/ZH5lxmQ482#AfghanAtalan | #AFGvSL | #Famous NationVictory Team pic.twitter.com/B9Lvn1YM4q– Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) February 23, 2026
‘Delighted to host Sri Lanka for the first time’: ACB CEO
Afghanistan Cricket Board Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Naseeb Khan expressed his enthusiasm about the historic tour, highlighting the strengthening relationship between the two cricket boards.
“We are delighted to host Sri Lanka for the first time in our history. This event reflects the strength of our partnership with the Sri Lanka Cricket Board and we are committed to further strengthening our relationship to deliver a high-quality cricket experience in the future.” Khan said in an official statement.
He added that Sri Lanka have been playing excellent cricket of late and it promises to be a competitive series between two quality sides. Khan also emphasized the strategic importance of the visit for the development of Afghanistan. “Furthermore, the series is central to our mission as we begin to further build our team and refine key areas that need improvement. Our primary goal is to prepare the team for major ICC and ACC events and the numerous bilateral engagements planned over the next two years,” he stated.
Sri Lanka Cricket CEO welcomes historic task
Sri Lanka Cricket Chief Executive Officer Ashley De Silva echoed these sentiments, emphasizing the importance of bilateral cricket in the international calendar.
“Bilateral cricket is an important element of international cricket and we are delighted to be a part of this historic tour as Sri Lanka participates in a bilateral series hosted by Afghanistan for the first time” De Silva said.
He expressed confidence that this tour will help Sri Lanka to plan and prepare for future international assignments.
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AFG vs SL: Previous meetings between the two teams
The last bilateral meeting between the two sides took place in early 2024 during Afghanistan’s visit to Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka dominated on this occasion, securing a 3-0 clean sweep in the ODI series and winning the T20I series 2-1.
Notably, the T20I series will begin just five days after the T20 World Cup 2026 final, while the ODI phase will end just a day before the start of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Pakistan Super League (PSL) on March 26, making player workload management a key issue for both boards.
campaign in Afghanistan T20 World Cup 2026 It ended in disappointment as they failed to qualify for the Super 8 stage, finishing third in Group D with two wins and two losses. The upcoming series of games will also be Afghanistan’s first assignment without former coach Jonathan Trott, who left after the Group stage games.
Sri Lanka, on the other hand, suffered a heavy defeat against England in the opening game of the Super 8, but advanced to the Super 8 stage by finishing second in Group B with three wins and one loss.
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