The upcoming white-ball series between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan has been postponed indefinitely due to the ongoing turmoil in the middle east. With the series scheduled to be played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), from March 13 to March 25, the situation in Dubai hasn’t allowed the series to take place.
Sri Lanka Cricket reportedly cancel series after Afghanistan announce squad:
According to journalist Roshan Abeysinghe, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has called off the series for now due to the conflict in the middle east. The tensions between Iran, Israel and the United States of America (USA) commenced on February 28 and it has only been escalating ever since. Although Dubai airport has reportedly resumed partial operations, the situation remains highly uncertain. Notably, there was also a drone strike close to the airport.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan are slated to play three ODIs and as many T20Is. All T20Is were scheduled to take place in Sharjah on March 13, 15 and 17, while the 50-over games were to be played on March 20, 21 and 23.
Sri Lanka Cricket has decided to postpone the upcoming T20 and ODI series against Afghanistan in Sharjah and Dubai due to the current situation – Sources –
— Roshan Abeysinghe (@RoshanCricket) March 7, 2026
Earlier, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) stressed they were closely monitoring the situation in West Asia and were in regular contact with the stakeholders regarding the series.
Afghanistan sack Rashid Khan as T20I captain ahead of Sri Lanka series:
It is imperative to note that Afghanistan had removed Rashid Khan as the T20I captain after the nation failed to progress beyond the group stage of the T20 World Cup 2026 and replaced him with Ibrahim Zadran.
Afghanistan T20I squad: Ibrahim Zadran (C), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Noor Rahman (WK), Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Shahidullah Kamal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi, Fareed Ahmad Malik and Abdullah Ahmadzai.
Afghanistan ODI squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Rahmat Shah (VC), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Ikram Alikhil (WK), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharoti, AM Ghazanfar, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi, Fareed Ahmad Malik and Bilal Sami.
Reserves:Â Qais Ahmad, Mohammad Saleem Safi and Bashir Ahmad.
