Afghanistan to host West Indies as UAE turns battlefield for exciting pre-T20 World Cup series

Afghanistan to host West Indies in UAE [Source: @ACBofficials/x]

The Afghanistan cricket team is set to host West Indies in a three-match T20I series in a couple of months’ time. The series will be played between January 19 and January 22, and the fixtures will serve as a dress rehearsal for both sides before the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.

The premier ICC T20 extravaganza itself is scheduled to be played in February and March next year, i.e., just a couple of weeks after the conclusion of the T20I series.

Afghanistan and West Indies to lock horns in UAE warm-up

The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), on Friday, November 7, confirmed that Afghanistan will host West Indies in the UAE for a series of three T20I matches. The series will provide invaluable game time to both teams ahead of their T20 World Cup 2026 preparations, as described by the ACB in their official media release.

ACB CEO Naseeb Khan said that playing against West Indies will give Afghanistan players an “excellent opportunity” in finalising their line-up, just at the brink of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

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Cricket West Indies Director of Cricket Miles Bascombe also echoed the sentiment, and even praised the choice of host country in the UAE, considering their spin-friendly wickets are “similar to those” the West Indies players will be encountering in India and Sri Lanka during the multi-nation ICC event.

Afghanistan vs West Indies T20I series schedule:

Despite coming up with an official announcement of the series, the ACB is yet to finalise the venues for each of the three matches. One can expect the board to come up with an updated schedule within the next few weeks.

As of now, the Afghanistan team is on a tour of Qatar to play a three-match T20I series against the hosts, starting from November 8 in Doha.

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