South Africa and Afghanistan are set to play their first-ever bilateral series, consisting of three ODIs scheduled in Sharjah from September 18 to 22. Hosted by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), this series marks a new chapter in the partnership between the two cricket boards, as highlighted by Cricket South Africa (CSA) in a recent statement.

A milestone series outside the future tours programme

Originally not part of the Future Tours Programme (FTP), this series is considered a "significant milestone" in the collaboration between the Afghanistan and South African cricket boards. CSA chairman Lawson Naidoo emphasized the importance of this series in strengthening ties between the two nations. The series will conclude five days before South Africa's next scheduled matches—two T20Is and three ODIs—against Ireland in Abu Dhabi, starting on September 27.

"We are excited to embark on this historic ODI series with Afghanistan, who have become a very competitive all-round team as evidenced by their recent performances in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 and most recently at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024," Naidoo said. "This is a significant milestone in our cricketing relations, and we look forward to a competitive and entertaining series.

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Upcoming challenges for both teams

"These fixtures were not initially part of our FTP. Still, based on our productive negotiations with our counterparts at Cricket South Africa, we concluded that we will host the Proteas for an ODI series in September," ACB Chairman Mirwais Ashraf said. "They are an excellent team, and we are eagerly looking forward to hosting them and playing them regularly in the future."
Before heading to the UAE, South Africa will be engaged in a busy schedule, playing two Tests and three T20Is against the West Indies in the Caribbean, beginning on August 7. For Afghanistan, the series against South Africa offers a valuable opportunity to compete against a Test-playing nation, coming just days after their historic maiden Test against New Zealand in Greater Noida, India, scheduled from September 9 to 13.