Afghanistan closer to maiden Test, in talks with Zimbabwe for full series
The series, which is likely to comprise one Test, five ODIs and between two to three T20Is, could be played in either India or the UAE
Nagraj Gollapudi and Osman Samiuddin
31-Jul-2017
Afghanistan shared the ODI series against West Indies in June, a sign of their progress on the international stage • AFP
Afghanistan are closing in on playing their maiden Test, and are in talks with Zimbabwe for a full series later this year. The series is likely to be hosted by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB). Afghanistan were conferred Test status by the ICC in June earlier this year.
ESPNcricinfo understands the series is likely to comprise one Test, five ODIs and between two to three T20Is. With Afghanistan not in a position to host cricket at home, the ACB is looking at hosting the series either in India or the UAE.
It is understood that Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) sent an e-mail to the ACB last week giving an in-principle nod. Both boards will take a final decision once ZC finalises the dates of the scheduled tri-series in Bangladesh, which, as per the ICC Future Tours Programme (FTP), is to be played between January-February next year. Ideally, ZC wants to play Afghanistan in the UAE and then travel to Bangladesh.
If the plans materialize, it will give Afghanistan a significant boost, after they have hopped into the top echelons of international cricket since gaining ODI status in 2009.
During this period, Afghanistan registered memorable results, including three consecutive limited-overs series victories against Zimbabwe before recently drawing the ODI series in West Indies in June.