Australia postpone Afghanistan Test, NZ ODIs

SYDNEY: Cricket Australia postponed plans to host a Test match against Afghanistan and a one-day series against New Zealand Friday, saying the coronavirus pandemic had made arranging the matches too difficult.

The Test, scheduled for Perth in late November, would have been the first played between cricketing superpower Australia and minnows Afghanistan.

The pandemic has already scuppered plans for Australia to host the West Indies, Zimbabwe and the T20 World Cup this year.

A money-spinning tour by India featuring four Tests, three ODIs and three T20s will proceed, with officials conceding the funds it generates will be crucial to CA’s future.

The Afghanistan and New Zealand tours were never going to be such a high priority, although CA said it hoped to reschedule them some time before the end of 2023.