Colombo [Sri Lanka], August 21 (ANI): The Afghanistan cricket team might take a roundabout route to get to Sri Lanka for their scheduled three-match ODI series against Pakistan, which is due to begin on September 3.

No commercial flights are taking off from Kabul following the Taliban takeover of the country, and as per ESPNcricinfo, a contingency plan worked out by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) is to get Pakistan visas for all the players and support staff, get them to fly to Pakistan first, then to Dubai, and then on to Colombo for the series.

Also Read | Maziya Sports & Recreation vs ATK Mohun Bagan, AFC Cup 2021 Live Streaming Online on Disney+Hotstar: Watch Free Telecast of Football Match On TV In India.

Amid uncertainties, ACB CEO Hamid Shinwari had said that the tour is going to be on schedule.

"Cricket is doing very well," Shinwari told ESPNcricinfo earlier this week. "We are going to the office (ACB). The cricket team is preparing for the Pakistan series in Sri Lanka. It is confirmed. We are committed to sending a team to Sri Lanka as soon as possible. There is a transition going on here in Afghanistan hence there is a vacuum in flight operations and availability is affected. But we will fly out as soon as we find a flight. We have our boys assembled in Kabul and they are preparing for the series." "We hope the squad will depart in the next four days. We have updated both the PCB and Sri Lanka Cricket and both are on board. I am thankful to SLC for hosting us and that is really generous of them." All three matches in the series will be played in Hambantota and will involve a three-day quarantine period on arrival for both sides.

Also Read | All-India Chess Federation and Chess Association of India Merge to End Infighting.

With an eye on the current turmoil in Afghanistan, questions have also been raised on whether the team will be ready to participate in the upcoming T20 World Cup. But the Afghanistan Cricket Board had made it clear that the team will be ready for action when the showpiece event gets underway in Dubai.

Afghanistan cricket team's media manager Hikmat Hassan had told ANI that there is no doubt with regards to participating in the T20 World Cup and the board is keen to go ahead with a tri-series involving Australia and West Indies to help in preparations for the showpiece event. (ANI)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)