Afghanistan to host Sri Lanka for six white-ball games in March in UAE

Afghanistan are set to host Sri Lanka for six white-ball games in the UAE from March 13 to 25.

The series will start with three T20Is, all to be played in Sharjah, before as many ODIs in Dubai. The 20-over games will be played on March 13, 15 and 17, while the 50-over fixtures follow on March 20, 22 and 25.

The T20I series will start only five days after the ongoing T20 World Cup ends on March 8, while the ODI leg will conclude just a day before the start of both the IPL and PSL on March 26.

Multiple players from both countries, including Kusal Perera, Dasun Shanaka, Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad, amongst others, are part of the two franchise leagues.

"We are delighted to host Sri Lanka for the first time in our history. This event reflects the strength of our collaboration with the Sri Lanka Cricket Board, and we are committed to further strengthening our relationship to provide a high-quality cricket experience in the future. Sri Lanka has been playing excellent cricket recently, and we look forward to what promises to be a competitive white-ball series between two quality sides," Ashley De Silva, CEO of Sri Lanka Cricket, was quoted as saying by ICC.

“Bilateral cricket is an important element in international cricket, and we are extremely happy to be a part of this historic tour, as this is the first time Sri Lanka is engaging in a bilateral series hosted by Afghanistan," he added. 

This will be just the second bilateral T20I series between the two teams, after the one in February 2024, which Sri Lanka won 2-1. On the other hand, this will be the fourth bilateral ODI series between them after the ones in 2022, 2023 and 2024.

While the 2022 series ended at level terms (1-1) after no result in the second match, Sri Lanka clinched the 2023 series by a 2-1 margin before blanking Afghanistan 3-0 in 2024.

Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka 2026 T20I fixtures

Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka 2026 ODI fixtures