Cash-strapped Ireland scrap Afghanistan series

KABUL (Pajhwok): Ireland has canceled a multi-format series against Afghanistan scheduled for this year, citing “financial reasons.”

In a busy summer schedule that includes historic tours by England T20I side and Zimbabwe women, Ireland has decided to shelve plans to host Afghanistan for a series that was supposed to include a Test, three ODIs and three T20Is, according to ESPNcricinfo.

Cricket Ireland announced the cancellation on Tuesday when it announced its international fixtures.

Among the fixtures confirmed, Ireland Women’s team is set to compete in Women’s 50-over World Cup qualifying matches against Pakistan, the West Indies, Bangladesh, Thailand and Scotland from April 9 to 18.

They will also play warm-up games against the West Indies and Bangladesh on April 5 and 7 respectively, in Pakistan ahead of their bid to reach the World Cup for the first time since 2005.

However, the ICC is yet to confirm the dates and venues for the qualifiers.

Ireland will host the West Indies in ODI and T20I series in May and June respectively. In September, England will play their first-ever T20I series in Ireland, comprising three matches.

Although the Men’s Future Tours Programme (FTP) had originally scheduled the Afghanistan series, all seven matches have now been canceled.

The decision follows Australia and England’s move not to play bilateral series against Afghanistan,

But Warren Deutrom, CEO of Cricket Ireland, emphasised that the cancellation was for financial rather than political reasons.

Deutrom, however, clarified, “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 and our requirement to comply with the board’s mandate to deliver balanced investment across the organisation’s strategic objectives.”

Since becoming a full member of the ICC in 2017, Ireland have hosted only two of the 10 Tests they have played.

They secured their first-ever Test win over Afghanistan in the UAE in 2024, followed by two more Test victories against Zimbabwe, one at home last year and another away in February 2025.

sa/mud