Afghanistan-Ireland ODI series rescheduled for January 21

The Afghanistan Vs Ireland ODI series which was earlier scheduled to be held on January 18 has been rescheduled after a request from Afghanistan, Cricket Ireland informed on Thursday. The ODI series between the two countries, which is a part of the World Cup Super League series is now slated to begin on January 21. 

"We were pleased to accommodate the Afghanistan Cricket Board's request for a slight extension of the tour understanding that the delayed arrival time of the Afghan side, combined with their quarantine requirements meant that the previous schedule could not be achieved," said Richard Holdsworth, High-Performance Director for Cricket Ireland in a statement.

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Afghanistan will now play Ireland on January 21, 24 and 26 at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi. "We are pleased that after discussions over recent days, an agreement was reached on keeping the series in Abu Dhabi after the Afghanistan squad's visas came through," he added.

Ireland on Wednesday was hit by a minor setback after pacer David Delany left the squad, complaining of knee pain following training in Abu Dhabi. He is expected to be replaced by Josh Little, who had originally been named in the 16-man squad, however, was later forced into self-isolation after his close contact tested positive for Coronavirus. 

Before their match with Afghanistan, Ireland is first said to lock horns with UAE in the World Cup Super League fixtures later this month. Meanwhile, UAE will play the 4-match series against Ireland on January 8. 

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(With Agency Inputs)