Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) CEO Hamid Shinwari is optimistic about resuming the nation's cricket activities as he said that they are planning to host a T20I tri-series against Australia and West Indies in the first week of October ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021.

The T20I tri-series, which will serve the purpose of preparation for the global tournament, is likely to be staged either in Qatar or UAE.

"Our team will be traveling abroad to play the tri-series hopefully, and that we could accommodate two important nations Australia and the West Indies. We are planning to conduct this series in one of the Arab countries, maybe in Qatar or the UAE. It still hasn't been decided. The series is confirmed given that a venue is available,” Shinwari told ESPNcricinfo.

If the series goes ahead, this will be the first international assignment for Afghanistan since the Taliban took over the reins of power in the country.

ACB CEO also confirmed that after the completion of the T20 World Cup in UAE, Afghanistan will travel to Australia for the scheduled one-off Test match.

"We have support for cricket from the management. After the T20 World Cup, we are going to Australia to play a one-off Test match. Talks with Cricket Australia are in the pipeline. After the World Cup, the team will be heading there."

Earlier, the three-match ODI series between Afghanistan and Pakistan, slated to begin on September 3, was postponed amid the ongoing chaos in Afghanistan. However, the Pakistan Cricket Board has said that the series is rescheduled to 2022.

It is pertinent to note here that the tri-series is most likely to clash with the second leg of IPL 2021, which may result in the absence of big names who will take part in the lucrative T20 league.