Sri Lanka have postponed their white-ball matches against Afghanistan in the UAE due to the ongoing war in the West Indies. Sri Lanka were supposed to play six matches from March 13 to 25 in Sharjah and Dubai.
The decision was taken after the conflict in the Middle East continued to impact travel, making things difficult for the teams. Both cricket boards agreed to cancel the series to prevent any incident.
"We cancelled the tour because of the flight issues and the ongoing war in the region," a Sri Lanka Cricket official told AFP.
Sri Lanka and Bangladesh were set to compete in three T20Is on March 13, 15 and 17, before starting the ODI leg of the tour on March 20. Afghanistan were preparing to host Sri Lanka for the first time in a bilateral assignment at a neutral venue.
The tension started when the United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, which resulted in strikes from Tehran. The airspace across the Gulf was briefly shut as drones and missiles were launched.
Reports suggest both the AFC and SLC reached an agreement as the tour was not possible under the circumstances.
Afghanistan haven't been able to host matches at home because of security issues. They play their home matches in India and the UAE.
Ibrahim Zadran is the new T20I captain of Afghanistan, while Sri Lanka have roped in Garry Kirsten as their head coach.