ACB hails BCCI's decision to host Afghanistan for maiden Test as historic

Reacting to the BCCI's decision to host Afghanistan for their first ever Test match against India, Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) Chairman Atif Mashal on Monday called it a historic moment for his country.

"I would like to thank @BCCI for a fruitful meeting in which we agreed that Afghanistan will play its inaugural Test match against India, which will be a historic moment for Afghanistan cricket," Mashal tweeted shortly after BCCI acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary announced it.

Earlier in the day, the ACB confirmed that the newly-promoted Test side will play their maiden five-dayer with India.

"@ACBofficials and @BCCI have agreed that Afghanistan will play its first test match against India. The exact date and venue of the historic match will be shared in a joint press conference with @BCCI in due course," read the tweet from ACB.

Announcing the development after the BCCI's Special General Meeting here on Monday, Choudhary said the dates of the historic Test will be chalked out later.

"Afghans were scheduled to play their first Test in 2019 versus Australia but considering the historic relationship between India and Afghanistan, we decided to host their first Test," Choudhary told reporters.

He said India will also host 81 matches across all the three formats from 2019 to 2023 according to the new Future Tours Programme (FTP).

--IANS

tri/vm