Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka White-Ball Series in UAE Likely to Be Postponed Due to West Asia Conflict

Afghanistan and Sri Lanka are set to postpone their limited-overs series which was originally supposed to be held in the United Arab Emirates between March 13 and March 25. This comes following the recent military tensions in West Asia.

The tour consisted of six games with three Twenty20 Internationals followed by three One-Day Internationals. However, both cricket boards are now considering their options with safety and travel being major concerns.

Although there has been no official word from either Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) or Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), the consensus among the boards is that the series in the UAE can't go ahead at this time.

Reports suggest that while they are still considering their options, moving the series to another country is not an option, largely because the schedule is so tight and logistical hurdles are too difficult to overcome.

Series and Travel plans

The two sides were slated to face each other in three T20Is on March 13, 15 and 17 followed by three ODIs from March 20 to 25 in Dubai.

If the postponement is announced, both sides will have to wait for another opportunity to get the matches on and there has been no word on any rescheduled dates at this moment. The series was also meant to be Afghanistan's first under new skipper Ibrahim Zadran who replaced Rashid Khan as the new white-ball captain after their early exit from the T20 World Cup.

This is not the first time cricket events in the recent days have been affected by the conflict in West Asia. Last week, six games in Nepal in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2 involving Oman, Nepal and UAE have already been postponed.

Travel plans for cricket teams heading into the T20 World Cup have also faced hurdles. Numerous airspace corridors in West Asia are closed, and teams have struggled to fly in and out of the region.

West Indies and South Africa after being knocked out of the tournament were stuck in Kolkata, and only on Sunday confirmed their ability to fly out to India on Tuesday. Both sides will wait to learn how long the restrictions will be in effect and make their decisions accordingly.