After earning the status of a Test-playing nation in June 2017, the Afghanistan cricket team will be touring India for a Test series in 2019-2020. As announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on December 11, India will host Afghanistan, however, the schedule is yet to be declared.
According to PTI, BCCI’s acting secretary, Amitabh Choudhary, attended the Special General Meeting in New Delhi after which he confirmed the tournament. He said,
Afghans were scheduled to play their first Test in 2019versus Australia but considering the historic relationship between India and Afghanistan, we decided to host their first Test.”
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The Afghanistan Cricket Board has also confirmed the development and have thanked the Indian cricket board for the decision.
@ACBofficials and @BCCI have agreed that Afghanistan will play its first Test against India. The exact date and venue of the match will be shared in a joint press conference in due course. I personally thank BCCI board for the decision. @BCCI @ARG_AFG
— Atif Mashal (@MashalAtif) December 11, 2017
Afghanistan and Ireland were made full members of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in June, becoming the sport’s 11th and 12th Test-playing nations.
Besides welcoming them into the five-day cricket format, the BCCI has extended a helping hand to Afghanistan on a number of occasions. The team from the war-ravaged nation has hosted its home games in India, most recently the series against Ireland in Greater Noida.
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Rashid Khan and Mohammed Nabi became the first two Afghanistan cricketers to be bought at the IPL auction earlier this year. Rashid impressed everyone in the cash-rich tournament and became the first bowler to grab the purple cap. Both the Afghan players represented the Sunrisers Hyderabad and played under the captaincy of David Warner.
On the other hand, the Indian cricket team will be visiting South Africa at the end of 2017 to play a bilateral series comprised of 3 Tests, 6 ODIs and 3 T20Is starting from January 5 in Cape Town.
