Afghanistan are all set to play their first full series against a Full Member other than Zimbabwe when they tour West Indies for three One-Day Internationals and three Twenty20 Internationals this year in June.
With West Indies failing to qualify for the Champions Trophy in England, the limited-overs series will be held around the same time as the multi-team event in England. The two sides have never faced each other in the 50-over format before.
The T20I matches will be held at Warner Park in St Kitts with the first match scheduled for June 2. The first ODI will be held at the Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in St Lucia on June 9. The other two ODIs will also be played at the same venue with the tour ending on June 14.
The last time these two sides met was in the World T20 last year in which Afghanistan surprisingly came out on top by six runs. With only the top eight teams gaining a direct entry into the 2019 World Cup in England, West Indies will be desperate to topple Pakistan, who are currently placed eighth. With Pakistan also scheduled to play three ODIs in the Caribbean islands now, the home side will be looking to make use of these six games to make up for lost ground.
“It will also be an important series for our side, as they look to move up in the ICC World Rankings in the two formats, and continue their quest to qualify for the 2019 ICC World Cup in England and Wales,” Roland Holder, WICB Manager of Cricket Operations, said on Wednesday (March 29).
As per the original schedule, the two sides were scheduled to play five ODIs and T20Is but now two 50-over matches have been scrapped.
