In a recent turn of events, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Afghanistan Cricket Board have apparently agreed to put off a three-match One-Day International (ODI) series between India and Afghanistan that was supposed to take place in June. Notably, the series between the two Asian countries was supposed to be played in three games between June 23 and June 30.
With the series postponed, the Indian team will get a much-needed break after playing in the Indian Premier League for almost two months. They are currently getting ready for the World Test Championship final against Australia, which will start on June 7 at the Oval in London. After the WTC final against Australia, India will possibly play the West Indies in a multi-format away series starting on July 12. An official confirmation of the schedule is still needed, though.
“Yes, after the WTC Final, there will be a break. The Afghanistan series is still hard to fit in. But right now, it looks hard because of the deal with the channel and the tour of the West Indies. So, it’s the best time for the players to rest,” a senior BCCI official said, as reported by India.com.
Neither of the two boards has said anything about when the new dates for the series will be. But now it seems likely that the series will take place before the start of the next Asia Cup.
The Rohit Sharma-led team will compete in the WTC championship game and try to take home the prize this time. On the other hand, Afghanistan is playing Sri Lanka in a three-match ODI series on the island nation. The series is tied at 1-1, and the third and final game will be played in Hambantota on June 7.
Afghanistan won the first ODI by a large margin, but Dasun Shanaka’s team beat them badly in the second game, when they were trying to reach a huge goal of 324 runs and were put out for under 200 runs.
India
