West Indies to tour Pakistan for three T20s in 2018

Pakistan will host West Indies for three T20s. (Source: File)

West Indies and Pakistan cricket boards have confirmed that the former will play three T20 games in the sub-continent region next year with all three games to be played in Lahore. The matches would be played on March 29, 31 and April 1 – Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Najam Sethi announced in a press conference on Saturday.

The tour was initially supposed to happen in November this year but has had to be rescheduled due to unforeseen circumstances. “There were talks to play the series in November, but due to unforeseen weather, we didn’t take the risk” Sethi said in Lahore. He further elaborated that the PCB and the CWI have mutually agreed to play series in Pakistan and the USA.

“Cricket West Indies (CWI) and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have signed an agreement to play a series of T20Is, each year for the next five years in Pakistan and in the United States, subject to availability of dates. WICB will send its full-strength national team in 2018 and will play three T20Is [on] March 29, 31 and April 1.”

“So I am hopeful that this ends the whole speculation around cricket in Pakistan. This is not a one-off series, we have tied up with the Windies for a period of five years. These bilateral [series] will be a part of the FTP, since we’ve made this agreement involving the ICC,” he added.

In return, Pakistan and West Indies will play a series in USA in 2018 which will be a tri-series. The third participant is yet to be finalised.

Following the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team in 2009 outside the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, international teams didn’t tour the country due to security fears. Zimbabwe ended that in 2013 but most recently a number of high profile players toured the region for World XI against Pakistan. Thereafter, Sri Lanka played third T20 in their three match series in Lahore as well.