Hambantota set to host ODI series between Afghanistan, Pakistan

The picturesque city of Hambantota, located in Sri Lanka, is set to host Afghanistan’s three-match home ODI series against Pakistan, according to a media report.

The selection of Sri Lanka as the venue was made with the upcoming Asia Cup 2023 in mind, which is set to take place from August 30 to September 17 and will be jointly held in Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

While the official schedule for the series is yet to be released, the three matches are expected to take place in the third week of August.

President of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), Shammi Silva, during a press conference on Tuesday, also confirmed that they are in contact with Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) regarding the aforementioned series.

“We are having discussion with them [ACB]. They are very interested and I think it will go through, so we are happy to help our Asian countries and other countries as well,” Silva said.

The Pakistan cricket team is in the midst of a two-match Test series against Sri Lanka, with the final match being played in Colombo. Under the leadership of Babar Azam, Pakistan has managed to secure a lead of 1-0 in the series., after beating the hosts in Galle Test by four wickets.

Following the conclusion of the Test series, several Pakistani players, including their captain Babar Azam, will be participating in the Lanka Premier League (LPL), set to commence on July 30.

Babar will be making his debut in the Sri Lankan league and will be leading the Colombo Strikers during the tournament.

Earlier this year in March, the neighbouring countries also played a three-match T20I series in Sharjah, which Afghanistan won by a margin of 2-1.