File photo of Pakistan cricket team.© AFP
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is planning to consider alternatives such as Sri Lanka or the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for hosting Pakistan’s Test series against England, according to Geo News. In Jason Gillespie’s first assignment as Test head coach of Pakistan, the Shan Masood-led team hit rock bottom after enduring a whitewash against Bangladesh on their home soil. During the two-match Test series, PCB had to shift the second Test to Rawalpindi, which was originally scheduled to be held in Karachi. Due to the ongoing construction work in Karachi National Stadium for next year’s Champions Trophy, it was not viable to host the second Test in Karachi.
As Karachi National Stadium, Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium, and the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium continue to go under renovation work for the marquee event; it could be possible that Masood and his side would have to play in Sri Lanka or the UAE.
Pakistan will host England for a three-match Test series, which is a part of the ongoing International Cricket Council (ICC) World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 cycle. The first of the three Tests will begin on October 7 in Multan.
The second Test will be played in Karachi, beginning on October 15, and the third red-ball clash is scheduled in Rawalpindi on October 24.
If PCB hosts the three-match Test series in the UAE, Abu Dhabi will be the only option due to the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup. The cricket extravaganza fest is set to take place in Dubai and Sharjah from October 3 to 20.
Pakistan will be keen to bounce back after their recent slump against Bangladesh. Pakistan dropped to eighth position in the ICC Test rankings, their lowest ranking in the format since 1965, barring the period where they did not have a place in the rankings due to an insufficient number of matches.
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