The PCB Management Committee Chairman, Najam Sethi, has announced that the Pakistani cricket team will participate in a three-match T20I series against Afghanistan in March. The games will be held in Sharjah and will serve as compensation for Afghanistan after Australia backed out of a planned series.
The initial plan was for the two teams to play a three-match ODI series this year, but due to both Pakistan and Afghanistan already securing spots in the 2023 ODI World Cup in India, the format was changed during discussions between Sethi and Afghanistan Cricket Board officials.
Sethi stated that the ODI series lost its appeal since it was meant to accumulate Super League points and that winning or losing wouldn’t make a difference anymore. Hence, both teams agreed to play a T20I series in Sharjah after the PSL tournament, with revenue from the games split equally.
Cricket Australia pulled out of the planned ODI series in March due to Taliban restrictions on women’s rights in Afghanistan. As of now, the country is the only full ICC member without a women’s cricket team because of restrictions imposed by the Taliban-led government.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board was disappointed with the situation and will take it to the International Cricket Council. Sethi also endorsed the Asian Cricket Council’s decision to give Afghanistan equal revenue share with top cricket boards such as BCCI, PCB, SLC, and BCB.
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