It feels like the Afghanistan team is facing tough times when it comes to global and cricket relations. Despite being too good on-the-field, life off-the-field has not been easy for the Afghanistan team ever since the Taliban took over their country.
There were times when Australia did not play against them, England nearly pulled out their Champions Trophy fixture versus them, and now the Ireland Board has postponed their home series against them.
Although it is not due to “political reasons” but still a setback for a team like Afghanistan who has been playing a great brand of cricket recently.
On Tuesday, Ireland cricket revealed their international schedule which of course includes a historic men’s T20 fixture and Zimbabwe women’s T20 tour. Besides, the Women’s 50-over World Cup qualifying matches against Pakistan, the West Indies, Bangladesh, Thailand, and Scotland between April 9 and 18 were among the international matches announced by Cricket Ireland.
As part of their preparations, Ireland Women will also play warm-up games against West Indies and Bangladesh in Pakistan on April 5 and 7, respectively. This campaign marks a significant milestone for the team, as they strive to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 2005. However, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is yet to confirm the dates and venues for the Qualifiers.
“One planned series that won’t go ahead for financial reasons is against Afghanistan. This decision is part of our management of short-term budgetary constraints, as well as our requirement to comply with the Board’s mandate to deliver balanced investment across the organisation’s strategic objectives,” Warren Deutrom, Cricket Ireland chief executive said.
“Off the field, recent Programme for Government announcements will enable us to continue our planning for the new Dublin stadium and for the 2030 T20 World Cup, while we’re looking forward to announcing infrastructure and facilities investments across Ireland as part of our expanded Club Fund,” Deutrom said.
Meanwhile Afghanistan Cricket’s CEO Naseeb Khan said in a release that Ireland will be hosting the side probably in 2026.
“Ireland CEO Warren Deutrom spoke to me on March 8 and explained that, due to financial reasons, they are unable to host us this year,” Khan said.
“However, they have expressed interest in hosting us in 2026. While we acknowledge their reasons, this would have been a valuable opportunity for players from both countries. We are in discussions with Cricket Ireland to explore suitable options for rescheduling the series and will work collaboratively to find a mutually convenient window.”
The Ireland Wolves will kick off the action, facing Afghanistan A in Abu Dhabi next month. The tour will feature four-day and one-day matches, providing valuable experience for the Wolves squad. Additionally, they will participate in a white-ball tri-series alongside Sri Lanka A.
In July, the Ireland Men’s team will join forces with Scotland and the Netherlands for the European T20 Premier League, starting mid-July.
Meanwhile, the Ireland Women’s team will host two international series. Zimbabwe Women will visit Ireland in July for their first tour since being added to the Women’s FTP for 2025-29. The tour will consist of three T20Is followed by two ODIs.
Later in August, Pakistan Women will travel to Ireland for a three-match T20 series, serving as a precursor to the T20 World Cup Europe Qualifier in the Netherlands, where Ireland Women will compete.
