Afghanistan will play Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates in a tri-nation Twenty20 series in Sharjah later this summer, the Afghanistan Cricket Board said Friday.
The tournament, hosted by the Emirates Cricket Board, will be held at Sharjah Cricket Stadium from Aug. 29 to Sept. 7. Each team will play two group-stage matches against the other sides before the top two advance to the Sept. 7 final.
The series will feature seven matches in total and comes ahead of the Asia Cup, which begins in the UAE on Sept. 9.
“We are delighted to join this high-quality tri-nation contest and extend our sincere appreciation to the Emirates Cricket Board for their generous initiative in organizing the series,” said ACB Chairman Mirwais Ashraf. “Sharjah holds a special place in cricket history, and we are confident this tournament will offer excellent match exposure for all participating teams ahead of the Asia Cup.”
ACB Chief Executive Naseeb Khan called the series “a valuable build-up” for Afghanistan. “This tournament comes at a crucial time in our calendar, and we are looking forward to giving our players the opportunity to face strong opponents in competitive conditions,” he said.
Schedule at Sharjah Cricket Stadium:
— Aug. 29: Afghanistan vs. Pakistan
— Aug. 30: UAE vs. Pakistan
— Sept. 1: Afghanistan vs. UAE
— Sept. 2: Afghanistan vs. Pakistan
— Sept. 4: UAE vs. Pakistan
— Sept. 5: Afghanistan vs. UAE
— Sept. 7: Final
