DHAKA: Afghanistan will tour Bangladesh this month to play three one-day matches and two Twenty20 Internationals, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) said as the visitors seek to bolster their 2023 World Cup qualifying bid.

Afghanistan were scheduled to tour Zimbabwe this month but the limited-overs series was postponed as the host board could not arrange the required broadcasting services needed for the Decision Review System (DRS).

The series was originally scheduled in December but was postponed following the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant in Zimbabwe.

The Afghan team will now arrive in Dhaka on Feb 12 and train in Sylhet before travelling to Chattogram, which will host the one-day series from Feb 23, the BCB said in a statement on Thursday.

Dhaka’s Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium hosts the Twenty20 matches on March 3 and 5.

Afghanistan sealed a series whitewash of the Netherlands last month in Doha, raising them to fifth in the 13-team World Cup Super League table.

The top eight nations will earn automatic qualification for next year’s global showpiece in India, with Bangladesh currently second behind England.

Published in Dawn, February 5th, 2022