Sri Lanka have indefinitely postponed their upcoming six-match white-ball cricket series against Afghanistan that was scheduled to begin this week in the United Arab Emirates. The decision comes amid escalating conflict in the Middle East that has disrupted flights and raised serious security concerns across the region.
A senior official from Sri Lanka Cricket confirmed the development on Monday, stating that the situation in the region made it impossible for the teams to proceed with the tour as planned.
“We had to cancel because of the flight situation and the ongoing fighting in the region,” the official told AFP.
Series Schedule in UAE Cancelled
The bilateral series between Sri Lanka national cricket team and Afghanistan national cricket team was set to be played entirely in the United Arab Emirates.
According to the original schedule:
- Three T20 Internationals were to be played in Sharjah on March 13, March 15 and March 17.
- Three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) were scheduled in Dubai on March 20, March 22 and March 25.
The series would have marked the first time Afghanistan hosted Sri Lanka for a bilateral cricket tour, although the matches were to be played in the UAE due to security and infrastructure challenges in Afghanistan.
Regional Conflict Disrupts Travel and Security
The postponement comes as tensions continue to escalate across the Middle East following military strikes carried out by the United States and Israel against Iran on February 28.
In response, Tehran launched retaliatory attacks targeting American military installations across several Arab countries as well as Israeli assets in the region. The conflict has since widened, triggering security alerts and disrupting transportation networks.
Flights across several Gulf countries have been affected. Airports in the region experienced delays and cancellations after Iran launched drones and missiles across the Gulf.
At one point, operations at Dubai International Airport were briefly halted on Saturday as the situation escalated.
Afghanistan’s Continued Challenge Hosting International Matches
The cancellation also highlights the long-standing challenges faced by Afghanistan in hosting international cricket.
Due to ongoing security concerns and limited infrastructure, Afghanistan has never hosted an international cricket match on home soil. Instead, the Afghanistan Cricket Board has been forced to stage its home fixtures in neutral venues such as India and the UAE.
The postponed series was expected to provide valuable preparation for both teams ahead of upcoming international tournaments.
As of now, cricket authorities have not announced a new date for the series, and officials say the tour will only be rescheduled once the regional situation stabilises.