Zimbabwe reshuffles dates of white-ball series against Afghanistan to boost attendance

New Delhi, Nov 29 Zimbabwe Cricket has announced that it has reshuffled dates for its upcoming white-ball series against Afghanistan happening next month to make it easier for fans to attend the matches at Harare Sports Club during weekends.

As per the original schedule, the T20Is were slated for December 9, 11 and 12 respectively, while the ODIs were set to be held on December 15, 17 and 19 respectively. But as per the revised schedule, the T20I series opener will now take place on December 11. The other two T20Is will now be played on December 13 and 14 respectively.

The first ODI is now scheduled to be played on December 17, followed by second and third ODIs on December 19 and 21, respectively.

"We understand the passion our fans have for the game, and we want to give as many people as possible the chance to experience top-level cricket. Moving key matches to the weekend ensures better access for spectators, enhancing the atmosphere at Harare Sports Club," said Givemore Makoni, ZC Managing Director. However, the dates for historic Test series between Zimbabwe and Afghanistan remains unchanged.

Zimbabwe will host their first Boxing Day Test in 28 years and their inaugural New Year’s Test, both at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo. The first Test will run from December 26-30, followed by the second game happening from January 2-6.

Zimbabwe’s last Boxing Day Test on home soil was in 1996 against England, which ended in a rain-affected draw at Harare Sports Club. Since then, they have only participated in Boxing Day Tests against New Zealand (2000) and South Africa (2017). The upcoming New Year’s Test, which comes after Boxing Day Test, will be a historic first for Zimbabwean cricket.

Afghanistan and Zimbabwe have an equal record of a win each from the two Tests they have played against each other. In the ODIs, Afghanistan have 18 wins from 28 games against Zimbabwe. In T20Is, Afghanistan have 14 wins from 15 matches against Zimbabwe.