PCB announces schedule of England’s Pakistan Test tour

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Monday confirmed details of England’s tour of Pakistan for three Tests, which will be played in December.

This, the PCB said in a statement, will be England’s second half of the tour, following seven T20 Internationals in Karachi and Lahore from 20 September to 2 October.

Ben Stokes’ side will open the tour with the first Test in Rawalpindi from 1-5 December, before both sides move to Multan for the second Test from 9-13 December.

Karachi will host the third Test from 17-21 December.

This will be the first time England will play a Test in Rawalpindi, which has previously staged 12 matches with the home side winning five and losing three.

When England last toured Pakistan in 2005, they lost the Multan Test by 22 runs. The venue has staged five Tests, with Pakistan winning three and losing one.

National Stadium was considered Pakistan’s happy hunting ground until Nasser Hussain’s side in 2000 ended Pakistan’s 34-Test unbeaten record, winning the third Test in near darkness by six wickets.

Pakistan’s only other loss in 44 matches in Karachi was against South Africa, who won the 2007 Test by 160 runs.

Nonetheless, with 23 Test wins, the National Stadium remains Pakistan most favourite Test venue.

The three Tests will count towards the ICC World Test Championship 2021-23. No.4 ranked England are presently sitting in the seventh position on the Test championship table, while sixth-ranked Pakistan are fifth.

Schedule of Tests

• 1-5 December – 1st Test, Rawalpindi
• 9-13 December – 2nd Test, Multan
• 17-21 December – 3rd Test, Karachi

Schedule of T20Is

• 20 September – 1st T20I, Karachi
• 22 September – 2nd T20I, Karachi
• 23 September – 3rd T20I, Karachi
• 25 September – 4th T20I, Karachi
• 28 September – 5th T20I, Lahore
• 30 September – 6th T20I, Lahore
• 2 October – 7th T20I, Lahore