Proteas, Afghanistan to meet in historic ODI series

History will be made in September when the Proteas and Afghanistan clash in a three-match ODI series, the first time the two nations will meet outside of an international World Cup competition.

The series will take place between September 18 and 22 and will be held in the United Arab Emirates at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) will be the hosts of the series.

Previous meetings

South Africa have faced Afghanistan on two previous occasions in 50-over ODI cricket during the last two World Cups — in 2019 and 2023.

This series will also mark their first encounter since South Africa defeated Afghanistan in the semi-final of the recent T20 World Cup in Trinidad and Tobago last month.

“We are excited to embark on this historic ODI series with Afghanistan, who have become a very competitive all-round team as evidenced by their recent performances in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 and most recently at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024,” said CSA chairman Lawson Naidoo.

“This is a significant milestone in our cricketing relations, and we look forward to a competitive and entertaining series.”

ACB chairman Mirwais Ashraf added: “These fixtures were not initially part of our Future Tours Programme. Still, based on our productive negotiations with our counterparts at Cricket South Africa, we concluded that we will host the Proteas for an ODI series in September. They are an excellent team, and we are eagerly looking forward to hosting them and playing them regularly in the future.”

Fixtures

Wednesday, 18 September

Afghanistan vs South Africa – Sharjah Cricket Stadium, UAE

Friday, 20 September

Afghanistan vs South Africa – Sharjah Cricket Stadium, UAE

Sunday, 22 September

Afghanistan vs South Africa – Sharjah Cricket Stadium, UAE