West Indies and Afghanistan will face each other over three T20Is in Sharjah next year as both teams build up towards the World Cup. The bilateral series is scheduled to begin on January 19 just days before the ICC event kicks off in India and Sri Lanka in February.
CWI’s Director of Cricket, Miles Bascombe, said: “This series provides an ideal platform for our preparation. Facing strong opposition in subcontinental conditions will help us sharpen our combinations and approach, and it also gives our players a chance to build confidence on surfaces similar to those we’ll encounter in India and Sri Lanka.”
West Indies co-hosted the last T20 World Cup, where they went through to the Super Eight stage but couldn’t make the knockouts. Afghanistan did make it to the semi-finals of that event, which was a first for them. The two teams have played eight T20Is against each other with West Indies leading the head-to-head 5-3.
All three T20Is of this bilateral series will take place in Sharjah on January 19, 21 and 22.
Naseeb Khan, CEO of the Afghanistan Cricket Board, said: “Competing against the West Indies on the brink of a global event presents an excellent opportunity for our team to finalize their lineup and enhance their preparations for the upcoming mega event in India and Sri Lanka.”
West Indies are currently playing a five-match T20I series in New Zealand, which they trail 2-1. Afghanistan’s last T20I assignment was against Zimbabwe in October, which they won 3-0.
ESPNCricinfo
