Last Updated on 5 years by Charbel Coorey
The Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan series, comprising of five T20Is, has been called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) has been working hard in recent times to ensure this series goes ahead. ZC applied for a waiver to have this series go ahead in a controlled environment – the kind we are seeing in England at the moment. However, the country has unfortunately experienced a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases, which has resulted in the government putting in stricter measures to try and control the spread of the virus. This includes sporting events, as the government has advised that Zimbabwe is not ready to host visiting teams at this moment in time.
“We were keen to see the imminent and safe return of cricket, but we understand the government’s health concerns and accept that cancelling the proposed tour is sensible and in the best interest of players, match officials, volunteers, service providers, fans and the wider community,” ZC acting managing director Givemore Makoni said in a statement.

The news comes as further disappointment for Zimbabwe cricket. India were also scheduled to visit the African nation for three ODIs this month, but that series was cancelled due to the pandemic. Also, Zimbabwe were scheduled to tour Australia in early August, but that series was also postponed, as Cricket Australia (CA) cited that organising a strictly controlled environment, including a 14-day quarantine, for such a short series is not feasible.
CA has confirmed that they will work with ZC to reschedule the series to a later date. In terms of the Afghanistan T20I series, however, it remains to be seen if this will be postponed to a later date.
This news means that Afghanistan’s IPL participants can begin to ramp up their preparations for the tournament, which will get underway on September 19 in the UAE, pending formal government approval, which is expected anytime now.
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