Afghanistan to host Bangladesh for T20Is in India

Ahead of their highly anticipated Test debut against India next month, Afghanistan will also host Bangladesh for three T20 internationals in Dehradun, the capital of the state of Uttarakhand in north India.

The matches are all day-night fixtures beginning at 8pm IST and will be played on June 3, 5 and 7. They will be the first significant fixtures held at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Dehradun.

"From the report I got, the ground looks fine and there are enough facilities. The hotels are also quite good," Akram Khan, BCB's cricket operations chairman, said. The only slight problem being the hotel is about 45 minutes from the ground. Otherwise everything seems fine. I think we will also be playing a practice match ahead of the three-match series."

The two countries have played each other only once previously - at the 2014 World Twenty20 in Dhaka - where hosts Bangladesh routed Afghanistan by nine wickets. Afghanistan are currently ranked eighth on the ICC T20I team rankings, and Bangladesh are tenth.

The Afghanistan Cricket Board CEO Shafiq Stanikzai said: "The ongoing training camp in India in which players from the national and U-19 teams as well as top performers from domestic cricket will help the selection committee to select a strong side for the T20I series against Bangladesh. These matches will be important for both sides to gain valuable points in the ICC rankings and the lead up to the 2020 ICC World Twenty20".

"This promises to be a very competitive series," BCB chief executive Nizam Uddin Chowdhury said. "Afghanistan have some fine players for this format and they will have the advantage of familiarity with the conditions in Dehradun. However, the Bangladesh team is a confident and experienced unit and we are really looking forward to the matches."

Afghanistan's one-off Test against India begins in Bengaluru on June 14.