Afghanistan’s three-match Twenty20 series against Bangladesh will get underway on June 3

Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo

Afghanistan will host Bangladesh for a three-match Twenty20 series at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Dehradun.

The three matches, which will be held on June 3, 5 and 7 and begin at 8pm IST, will be played ahead of Afghanistan’s Test debut against India on June 14 in Bangalore.

“From the report I got, the ground looks fine and there are enough facilities. The hotels are also quite good,” Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) cricket operations chairman Akram Khan was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo. “The only slight problem being the hotel is about 45 minutes from the ground. Otherwise everything seems fine. I think we will also be playing a practice match ahead of the three-match series.”

Afghanistan and Bangladesh have only met once before, which came at the 2014 Wold Twenty20, where Bangladesh crushed Afghanistan by nine wickets.

“The ongoing training camp in India in which players from the national and U-19 teams as well as top performers from domestic cricket will help the selection committee to select a strong side for the T20I series against Bangladesh,” Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) CEO Shafiq Stanikzai said. “These matches will be important for both sides to gain valuable points in the ICC rankings and the lead up to the 2020 ICC World Twenty20.”

BCB chief executive Nizam Uddin Chowdhury added: “This promises to be a very competitive series. Afghanistan have some fine players for this format and they will have the advantage of familiarity with the conditions in Dehradun. However, the Bangladesh team is a confident and experienced unit and we are really looking forward to the matches.”