This week, the white-ball series between Afghanistan and Sri Lanka in UAE was put on pause. Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) clarified that the three ODI and three T20 International matches scheduled between March 13 and 25 have been postponed due to the ongoing regional war situation and travel constraints.
This is not just a decision changing the date. The preparations of both the teams were going on according to this window, and for Afghanistan, this was considered to be the initial series of the era of new captain Ibrahim Zadran in the T20 setup.
According to Cricbuzz report, ACB Chief Executive Naseeb Khan said that the problem was not one. Flight availability, logistics and the security situation in the area combined to make the schedule impractical.
ACB also saw the possibility of holding the match in Sri Lanka as an alternative and kept in constant touch with the Sri Lanka Cricket Board. But at that time flights from UAE to Sri Lanka were not available. It was not possible to set up production setup, hotel booking, ground blocking and security arrangements in a short time.
The series will not happen now.
According to Naseeb Khan, now work is being done to shift this bilateral series to the last quarter of the year, i.e. between October and December. The new dates and venue planning will be finalized by both the boards together.
The effect of this geopolitical tension was visible on other cricket programs also. There was also a delay in the return of West Indies team players and support staff from India, because the arrangements for charter flights were not clear.
Cricket West Indies said in its statement that while prioritizing the safety and well-being of the players, the ICC was advised that it was not practical to continue waiting for the charter. After this, the Board, player group and concerned parties, in coordination with the ICC, chose the commercial flight option.
The board also informed that some players and staff have already left, while the remaining members are scheduled to leave for their respective destinations on separate flights on Wednesday, March 11. That means the cricket calendar is going on, but at present the teams have to look at the air routes and security equations before taking the field.
