Australia to host Afghanistan in historic cricket Test

The five-day match will be played at Hobart's Blundstone Arena from November 27 ahead of Ashes series

Afghanistan players celebrate after Rashid Khan dismissed Zimbabwe's Tarisai Musakanda in the second Test in Abu Dhabi on March 14, 2021. Courtesy Abu Dhabi Cricket

Australia will warm up for this year's Ashes series against England by playing their first ever Test match against Afghanistan.

The five-day match will be played at Hobart's Blundstone Arena from November 27, with Australia then facing England at Brisbane's Gabba ground in the first Test of the five-match Ashes series beginning December 8.

Afghanistan were granted Test status in 2018 with Australia originally planning to face them for the first time in the longest form of the game last year, but that match had to be scrapped as the coronavirus pandemic ravaged the global cricket calendar.

"We are also incredibly excited to welcome Afghanistan to our shores for a historic first Test match against Australia," said Cricket Australia's interim CEO Nick Hockley.

"The story of the Afghanistan cricket team is one of the most uplifting in international sport, and their record of three wins from their first six Tests prove they truly belong at this level."

Cricket Australia said "in a perfect world" they hoped England's famed "Barmy Army" travelling support would be allowed to travel for the biennial series but that depended on government Covid-19 restrictions over arrivals and quarantine.

They announced an Ashes series that includes a day-night second Test in Adelaide and the traditional Boxing Day match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground as the third Test.

Sydney, however, will be the venue for the fourth Test, rather than the series finale as has been customary, with Perth preferred for the fifth match starting next January.

Cricket Australia's announcement follows soon after organisers of the Australian Open tennis championship and Formula One Australian Grand Prix said they were determined to host their respective events later this year and in early 2022 over concerns they may be scrapped.

Australia's international borders have remained closed to non-essential travel during the pandemic, and a sluggish vaccine rollout has seen the government push plans to reopen into next year.

Non-essential travel to Australia from the UK is not currently permitted.