Cricket has become a casualty of the escalating conflict in West Asia. After multiple teams got stuck in India after the T20 World Cup 2026, Sri Lanka’s upcoming white-ball tour of Afghanistan in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been postponed indefinitely after the worsening situation in the Middle East disrupted travel routes and created serious challenges.
SL vs AFG postponed
The six-match series, scheduled to run from March 13 to 25, was supposed to feature three T20Is in Sharjah followed by three ODIs in Dubai. However, with airspace restrictions and uncertainty around international flights across the Gulf region, both the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) and Sri Lanka Cricket agreed that going ahead with the tour was no longer feasible.
“We had to cancel because of the flight situation and the ongoing fighting in the region,” a Sri Lanka Cricket official told AFP.
The geopolitical tensions intensified after the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran in late February, which triggered retaliatory action from Tehran. The fallout has affected several air corridors across West Asia, forcing airlines to cancel or reroute flights. At one point, Dubai airport also temporarily halted operations due to the security situation. With travel plans uncertain, transporting players, support staff and equipment into the UAE became difficult. Now, the important series is on hold.
Series postponement means new delays
The postponement also means a few important cricketing storylines will now have to wait.
Afghanistan opener Ibrahim Zadran was expected to begin his tenure as captain during the series. It would also have been the first assignment for Sri Lanka’s new head coach Gary Kirsten. Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s own coaching setup recently changed as Richard Pybus replaced Jonathan Trott following the T20 World Cup.
The crisis has already had a ripple effect on teams involved in the recently concluded T20 World Cup in India.
After their exits from the tournament, squads such as West Indies, South Africa and Zimbabwe faced delays in returning home because several transit routes through the Middle East were disrupted. The International Cricket Council had to step in to arrange alternative travel plans, including charter flights, to ensure players could leave India safely.
