Zimbabwe, Afghanistan to meet for four ODIs

Cricket365
July 27, 2014

Afghanistan will tour Zimbabwe for four ODIs later in July. The 28-day visit will also include twin first-class fixtures.

The Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo will host limited-overs fixtures and the Harare Sports Club the four-day games.

The teams were scheduled to meet for several Twenty20 Internationals and a solitary ODI in January – but the series was cancelled due to a financial crisis withing Zimbabwe Cricket.

Dr Noor Mohammad Murad, CEO of Afghanistan Cricket, said: "We see the Zimbabwe tour as an important part of our preparation for the World Cup 2015.

"The national team has just participated in an extensive month-long coaching and fitness camp in Kabul. The tour will consolidate and build upon the training they have received along with camps and tours later in the year."

Academy coach Peter Anderson added: "Afghanistan may produce a few surprises at the World Cup. We have some excellent players and I think there are some teams that we may be able to defeat. At the very least, some teams may be in for quite a scare."

This will be Afghanistan's first bilateral ODI series against a Test-playing nation. The Netherlands and Nepal, meanwhile, have been afforded Twenty20 International status by the International Cricket Council at an annual conference in Melbourne.

Tour Schedule 13 July: First warm-up match, Bulawayo 15 July: Second warm-up match, Bulawayo 18 July: First ODI, Bulawayo 20 July: Second ODI, Bulawayo 22 July: Third ODI, Bulawayo 24 July: Fourth ODI, Bulawayo 27 to 30 July: First four-day game, Harare 2 to 5 August: Second four-day game, Harare