Afghanistan’s upcoming series against Bangladesh will take place inside Indian territory, according to permission from the Board of Control for Cricket in India.
The Afghanistan team will make their homecoming at the Shahid Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex in Greater Noida, the Times of India reports. This will be their first visit there in four years, having last played there in 2020. The white-ball series is scheduled to take place in July and August, based on an initial timetable.
Three ODIs and as many T20Is are slated for the series, which runs from July 25 to August 6, according to the TOI report. Bangladesh is expected to travel from New Delhi to Greater Noida on July 22, which will give them a short window of time to prepare for their first ODI.
Afghanistan will not be making its debut at the Greater Noida venue with this match. The Afghanistan Cricket Board and the BCCI signed a Memorandum of Understanding in December 2015 designating the Shahid Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex in Noida as their home stadium. Afghanistan has since played their “home” matches in Greater Noida, Lucknow’s Ekana Stadium, and Dehradun.
Afghanistan has emerged victorious from eight of the eleven matches played at the Greater Noida Sports Complex Ground.
This will not be the first time Greater Noida has accommodated the Afghans as their home. They held their first ODI match there against Ireland in 2017 to officially open the arena. The Afghanistan team underwent a difficult time before making this choice. The United Arab Emirates served as the primary host of their home games when the Taliban took over the nation in August 2021. But talks between the BCCI and the ACB during the 2023 World Cup have made it easier for them to return to India.
As the T20 World Cup 2024 moves into its final stages, starting with the Super Eight round, both teams are presently focused on their individual goals. After losing their first two matches against Australia and India, they are ready to step up their efforts to compete for a semi-final position.