Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka series postponed amid Middle East conflict

Published - 11 Mar 2026, 09:36 IST | Updated - 11 Mar 2026, 09:44 IST

Officials from the Afghanistan Cricket Board confirmed on Tuesday, March 10, that their upcoming series against Sri Lanka in the United Arab Emirates has been postponed due to the ongoing military conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran in the region. The two teams were scheduled to play a six-match white-ball series, comprising three ODIs and three T20Is, between March 13 and March 25 in the UAE.

Afghanistan endured a difficult campaign at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, as they were eliminated in the group stage. They suffered defeats against South Africa and New Zealand, while registering victories over the United Arab Emirates and Canada. However, those results were not enough to secure qualification for the Super Eight stage. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka progressed to the Super Eight but were eliminated after losing to New Zealand, Pakistan, and England.

"Yes, the white-ball series against Sri Lanka is postponed. There were some issues with flights, logistics, and the regional situation. We also explored a second option to stage these matches in Sri Lanka and remained in continuous contact with the Sri Lanka Cricket Board. However, there were no available flights from the UAE to Sri Lanka at that time," said ACB chief executive Naseeb Khan as quoted by Cricbuzz.

"Moreover, arranging production, hotels, ground bookings, and security within such a short period was quite challenging. Therefore, we ultimately decided to postpone it. It (the series) will be played in the last quarter of this year," he added.

Earlier, Rashid Khan was removed as Afghanistan’s T20I captain, with Ibrahim Zadran set to take over the role. The announcement comes in the wake of the team’s disappointing campaign at the T20 World Cup. The decision was confirmed by the ACB as part of a broader strategic move following recent changes in the team management.

Meanwhile, several players who were part of Afghanistan’s T20 World Cup squad have been left out of the new setup. Left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi, all-rounder Gulbadin Naib, and Mohammad Ishaq have all been omitted from the squad. The selectors have instead opted to introduce a few fresh faces in the T20I squad as part of the team’s rebuilding process.

Fast bowler Bilal Sami has retained his place in the ODI squad after delivering an impressive performance in his previous outing against Bangladesh national cricket team. In that match, he claimed a five-wicket haul and was named Player of the Match. Sami has also been included in the reserves for the T20I squad.