Windies To Host Afghanistan Series In June

ST. JOHN'S, Antigua and Barbuda, , (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th Mar, 2017 ) : West Indies will play Afghanistan in three one-day and three Twenty20 internationals in June after failing to qualify for the Champions Trophy, the West Indies Cricket board said on Wednesday.

The World T20 title-holders missed out on this summer's 50-over showpiece in England, to be held June 1-18, after dropping outside the top eight in the ICC rankings at the September 2015 cut-off.

"We are looking forward to welcoming the Afghans to the Caribbean for this short series," said WICB cricket operations manager Roland Holder. "The series promises to be compelling, considering the result of the match between the two sides at the last ICC World Twenty20 in India, and Afghanistan's gradual improvement over the last few years.

" He added: "It will also be an important series for our side, as they look to move up in the ICC World Rankings in the two formats, and continue their quest to qualify for the 2019 ICC World Cup in England and Wales." Hosts England and the top seven other teams will go directly into the 10-team World Cup, with the remaining two places decided in a 2018 qualifying tournament in Bangladesh.

West Indies are ninth in the latest rankings. They will host Afghanistan in the first of three T20 fixtures to be played in St Kitts on June 2, with the ODI series to follow in St Lucia and conclude on June 14.