Afghanistan was scheduled to play six consecutive games against Sri Lanka in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which has been hit by Iranian attacks.
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Published March 10, 2026
Sri Lanka has indefinitely postponed its six-match limited-overs cricket series against Afghanistan, which was scheduled to begin this week in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
“Due to the flight situation and the ongoing fighting in the region, we had to cancel the flight,” a Sri Lankan cricket official told AFP news agency on Monday.
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The two teams were scheduled to play three T20 international matches in Sharjah on March 13, 15 and 17, and three one-day international matches in Dubai on March 20, 22 and 25.
It was the first time Afghanistan would host Sri Lanka in a bilateral series.
Since the United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, fighting has spread across the Middle East, and the Iranian government has also launched retaliatory attacks.
The conflict has disrupted air travel across the region, including in Dubai, where the airport was temporarily closed after Iran fired drones and missiles at targets in the Gulf.
Afghanistan has never hosted an international cricket match and must instead play home matches in India or the UAE.
Earlier, Sri Lanka appointed former South African Test player Gary Kirsten as their new coach following Sanath Jayasuriya’s resignation following the team’s early exit from the T20 World Cup.
Sri Lanka Cricket announced that Kirsten would begin a two-year contract on April 15, although Jayasuriya’s contract was not scheduled to expire until the end of June.
Kirsten previously coached the Indian national team from 2008 to 2011 and the South African national team from 2011 to 2013.
