- July 21, 2025
What will undoubtedly be a busy month for cricket, it is not over yet! Reports are saying Bangladesh and Afghanistan are looking at a white-ball clash in Dubai, with both teams playing three ODIs and three T20Is. Nothing is confirmed as of yet, but both boards are keen to get this across the line.
Why This Series Has Been Playing Hide and Seek
You would think that organizing a bilateral series would be as straightforward as locking in a date and booking flights. But alas, this Bangladesh-Afghanistan series has had more ups and downs than a Rashid Khan googly.
Originally, the plan was for a July 2024 full tour consisting of two Tests and the white-ball games, but BCB subsequently withdrew due to workload management and put everything on hold. The ACB then offered a white-ball series in Greater Noida during July-August, but Bangladesh was not keen on the monsoon madness in North India.
Now we have come together again with both boards agreeing on a six-match white-ball series in Dubai – a neutral venue with perfect October weather, and the series seems to have an air of certainty about it. There were no discussions regarding the Test matches, but they were not completely off the table.
Why This Series Still Packs a Punch
Sure, it may not headline the marquee between India and Australia, but this match-up between Bangladesh and Afghanistan is probably more interesting than it looks on paper, because both teams have become white-ball specialists and have plenty of firepower recently.
For Bangladesh, this series is an excellent chance for them to try out a few new players and have some roles sorted before they host West Indies, while for Afghanistan, this provides a perfect buildup before they head to Zimbabwe.
The contests have been competitive. That heart-stopping showdown in the 2023 Asia Cup still lingers in every fan’s memory. The match-up between Afghan bowlers and Bangladesh’s quality top-order batters has become a little mini-rivalry. Add in Dubai, which has batting-friendly surfaces, and we will see some high-scoring matches.
The New Home Away from Home?
If this series does end up in Dubai, it brings forth a question: are neutral venues the future for certain bilateral series? Boards, with the impact of weather, scheduling, and even politics in recent memory, will continue to look at the UAE as a safe, neutral market.
Bangladesh and Afghanistan have already played a good amount of cricket in the UAE, which will bring some familiarity to the environment. Domestic television audiences will benefit from the scheduling aligned with their time zones. And the facilities are world-class. If this series goes smoothly, it could be a blueprint for other short-window tours of teams with congested calendars.
Will This One Finally Happen?
With a jam-packed year of cricket behind us, the proposed series in October feels like a necessary palate-cleanser; a compressed and entertaining meeting of two emerging white-ball teams, and not just another fill-in for delayed fixtures. It’s about offering fans quality cricket, assessing the manning depth, and ensuring that the calendar remains fluid and flexible.
So, will we see this Bangladesh-Afghanistan series happen? Or will it simply join the long list of “close to happened” series? Either way, October just got a lot more entertaining.
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