Bangladesh Cricket Board has confirmed that Bangladesh will play Afghanistan in a bilateral series in the United Arab Emirates in October. Cricket operations in-charge Shahriar Nafees said the tour will include one Test and three one-day internationals. The Afghanistan Cricket Board is the formal host and will announce the match details and final schedule.

Bangladesh and Afghanistan previously met at the same venue in a Twenty20 series, where Bangladesh completed a whitewash over Rashid Khan’s side. However, Bangladesh were then whitewashed in the ODI series. This time, the teams will meet in both the limited-overs format and the longer red-ball format.

The Test is described as significant for Bangladesh’s effort to strengthen its position in the ICC Test Championship, making victory over Afghanistan a major priority for the board. After the Afghanistan series, Bangladesh will host West Indies before touring South Africa for a full series of two Tests, three ODIs and three T20s. Bangladesh’s proposed September series against India remains uncertain because India are scheduled to tour Afghanistan at the same time.