UAE to host Afghanistan's home games for next five years; cricket boards ink agreement

The UAE will host Afghanistan's home games for the next five years, as per an agreement signed between the two cricket boards.

The move was prompted by the political situation in Afghanistan which has not hosted international teams. 

As part of the agreement, Test-playing nation Afghanistan will play UAE in a three-match T20I series in each of the five years.

"We are happy to support the ACB in ensuring that they have a home for their cricket," general secretary of the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) Mubashir Usmani said in a statement.

"We are also thankful to the Afghanistan Cricket Board for agreeing to play a series of T20I matches against UAE team each year.

"This will provide our UAE team with invaluable exposure and help in their development," he added. 

Until now, the Afghanistan team has been playing and conducting its training sessions on a series-by-series basis. 

The ECB would also provide logistic support to the ACB.

As per the ICC's Future Tours Programme (FTP), Afghanistan are set to host Australia, Pakistan and West Indies in three ODIs each, as well as Zimbabwe across formats, next year leading into the 2023 ODI World Cup. 

The matches will be played across venues in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah.