The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Tuesday that the Pakistan Cricket Board, PCB shifts ODI series vs West Indies has shifted the three-match One-Day International series against the West Indies from Rawalpindi to Multan.
Former prime minister Imran Khan is planning protest rallies in the federal capital Islamabad, which is adjacent to Rawalpindi, in the coming days.
Mr. Khan called off an open-ended rally and sit-in in Islamabad last week after leading thousands of his followers in a march through the city.
PCB shifts ODI series vs West Indies to Multan
Multan was preserved as a backup option by the PCB, who announced Monday that the three-match ODI series, which is part of the Cricket World Cup Super League, will now be played as planned on June 8, 10 and 12 as PCB shifts ODI series vs West Indies to Multan.
The series, which is part of the Cricket World Cup Super League, will take place on June 8, 10, and 12, with all matches starting at 4 p.m. local time to escape the blistering heat of the day.
The series was supposed to start in December, but it was pushed back owing to a Covid-19 epidemic in the West Indies camp. Prior to that, Pakistan had won the T20I series 3-0.
The PCB opted to hold the matches at 4 p.m. local time since temperatures in the Southern Punjab metropolis are predicted to reach the high forties.
Pakistan’s training camp will begin on June 1 in Lahore before relocating to Multan on June 5. Haris Rauf and Shadab Khan, who both play county cricket, are scheduled to arrive far ahead of schedule for the series.
The West Indies team will land in Islamabad on June 6 before taking a charter flight to Multan after PCB shifts ODI series vs West Indies to Multan.
There had been rumours that the series may be postponed again again, prompting the PCB to clarify that “no suggestion to postpone the series is under consideration.”
“Any event in Pakistan would be impossible to hold without the support of the local government. Matches will be held at the location where the green signal is received; decision-making time is limited “PCB had stated previously.
Multan is the only other venue accessible to hold international matches because the PCB is relaying the pitches at the National Stadium in Karachi and the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore and this is also one of the the reason PCB shifts ODI series vs West Indies to Multan.
The PCB has scheduled the games to begin at 4 p.m. local time, which will be the first time Pakistan hosts international games during the summer. The West Indies will land in Islamabad on June 6 and fly to Multan the following day on a charter jet after PCB shifts ODI series vs West Indies to Multan.
Last year, the ODI series was postponed after West Indies played three Twenty20s before being forced to return home owing to a COVID-19 outbreak in their camp. The ODI series, on the other hand, will not have a bio-secure bubble.