Afghanistan To Host South Africa In A Bilateral One-Day International Series

The two teams will face off in a three-match ODI series in Sharjah before South Africa's fixtures against Ireland

South Africa and Afghanistan are set to play their first-ever bilateral series at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in UAE in September /

By Ian Omoro

In a joint media statement on Wednesday (July 31), the boards of the two sides announced that Afghanistan will host South Africa for a three-match ODI series in September. The three matches, which will begin on September 18 in Sharjah, will be the first bilateral match between the two nations and act as a warm-up for the Champions Trophy the following year.

Only twice, during the World Cups in 2019 and 2023, have the Proteas faced Afghanistan in ODIs. Recently, in Trinidad, the two teams faced off in the T20 World Cup semifinals.

"These fixtures were not initially part of our future tours programme (FTP Still, based on our productive negotiations with our counterparts at Cricket South Africa, we concluded that we will host the Proteas for an ODI series in September. They are an excellent team, and we are eagerly looking forward to hosting them and playing them regularly in the future," Australian Cricket Board Chairman Mirwais Ashraf said.

"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 at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024. This is a significant milestone in our cricketing relations, and we look forward to a competitive and entertaining series." Ashraf's Cricket South Africa counterpart, Lawson Naidoo, added.

The rise of Twenty20 cricket has undeniably influenced the landscape of One Day Internationals. The explosive nature of T20 has led to a more aggressive approach in ODI cricket, with batsmen looking to score quickly from the outset. This shift has necessitated a corresponding evolution in bowling strategies, as bowlers strive to contain big hitters.