Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) officials are expected to travel to the UAE next week to discuss finalising Sharjah Cricket Stadium as the venue of their first-ever Test match, Sport360° understands.

Afghanistan, along with Ireland, were confirmed as Full Members of the International Cricket Council (ICC) during a board meeting in June and the Asian side hope to play Zimbabwe in their maiden five-day fixture as part of a series later this year.

Although Afghanistan have played their home games in Greater Noida in India since 2016, Sharjah has been identified as the preferred option due to the climate.

Sport360° understands a meeting with UAE cricket officials was postponed but are likely to hold talks again as early as next week to discuss the matter.

If a deal is agreed it would mean Afghanistan returning to Sharjah – a venue they called home between 2010-16. During that period, Afghanistan won 10 of their 15 ODIs and six of nine T20 internationals as they became a dominant Associate force in the limited-overs formats.

Besides Sharjah, Afghanistan have plenty of experience of playing in other venues in this country. They registered a 3-0 series whitewash over the UAE at the ICC Academy in December before triumphing at the inaugural Desert T20, which was held in Dubai and Abu Dhabi at the start of the year.

ACB will have to appoint a new head coach after deciding not to renew Lalchand Rajput’s contract.