The PCB, Pakistan’s cricket authority, is mulling over moving Pakistan’s home series against England. The UAE and Sri Lanka are top choices. This is because of concerns about logistics and safety in Pakistan. Both UAE and Sri Lanka have previously hosted Pakistan’s international games.
This makes them good choices for the next series. Their past hosting experience makes them fit as substitute locations. This past connection assures that the series can be held smoothly, even with logistic issues in Pakistan.
It was a rough start for Jason Gillespie, now Pakistan’s Test head coach. In his first job, his team, led by Shan Masood, didn’t do well. They lost, completely, to Bangladesh right at home. It wasn’t a great moment for it. People worry about what the team will do under Gillespie. His start has had some bumps, but here’s to hoping for better days after this hard loss.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) moved the second Test of the dual-match series to Rawalpindi, which was first planned for Karachi. This switch had to be made because Karachi’s National Stadium was busy with construction work. The building is for next year’s Champions Trophy.
Since the usual stadium was off-limits, Rawalpindi came up as the replacement. This choice ensured the series flowed without hitches. It just goes to show the behind-the-scenes headaches during the build-up to such a huge event.
Right now, the Karachi National Stadium, Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, and the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium are under repair. The goal? Get ready for the big time event. Because of this, Masood and his crew might end up playing in either the UAE or Sri Lanka. Get ready cricket fans, Pakistan is getting set to host England. This will be for a series of three matches, all part of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 cycle. The fun starts on October 7th with the first game in Multan.
Both England and Pakistan have a lot riding on this series. They are eager to earn essential points in the WTC leaderboard. This makes the games a pretty big deal. The next match between both countries will start on October 15th in Karachi. After that, the third and last red-ball match will kick off in Rawalpindi on the 24th of October.
These matches are part of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle, with both teams vying for crucial points. This series is especially significant for Pakistan as they play on home soil against a formidable England team. The upcoming Tests represent a major opportunity for Pakistan to secure valuable points and improve their standings in the championship, making it a highly anticipated and crucial contest.
Pakistan’s Cricket Board (PCB) may relocate their three-match Test series with England to the UAE. This is based on the scheduling of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, happening in Dubai and Sharjah from October 3 to 20. The hosting of the World Cup implies limited venue availability, leaving Abu Dhabi as the only practical place to host the Tests if they took place in the UAE.
Pakistan just had a challenging series with Bangladesh, affecting their standings substantially. After that loss, they slid down to the ICC Test rankings’ eighth spot, which is, in fact, their worst since 1965. This detail is telling as, other than when they didn’t have enough matches to be ranked, Pakistan has never fallen this low.
Now, the team is under stress to up their game and recover a higher ranking in the ICC Test rankings. Their recent performance dip makes it crucial for Pakistan to upturn their form. This improvement is essential for them to be back into reckoning and compete in the forthcoming series effectively.