Pak vs Afg ODI series to be held in Pakistan

The Pakistan and Afghanistan one-day international series (ODI) will be held in Pakistan, ESPN reported Monday, which was originally scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka.

Sources in the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) informed Geo News that due to logistical issues, the country's board was unable to host the series in Sri Lanka.

The Pakistan-Afghanistan ODI series was in peril as Sri Lanka had imposed a nationwide lockdown last week, bowing to intense pressure from medical experts.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who had resisted calls for a lockdown for weeks, agreed to the 10-day closure after dire warnings that hospitals could no longer cope with the inflow of COVID-19 patients.

Meanwhile, ACB and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) are in contact and will soon announce the dates and schedule for the series, sources informed the news outlet.

Pakistan had also issued visas to Afghan cricketers, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry had announced Sunday, saying that he hoped they will bring "smiles to the faces of their people". 

The Afghan cricketers are expected to arrive in Pakistan either by Monday or Tuesday, as per a report in The News.

“Yes, the entire Afghan cricket contingent has been granted visas by Pakistan and they are expected to cross the border into Pakistan anytime on Monday or Tuesday,” a source told The News.

The cricket series was in doubt due to the uncertainty in the war-torn country following the Taliban takeover last week.