Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is reportedly in talks with England and Wales Cricket Board and Sri Lanka Cricket to host an ODI tri-series in October-November this year. While the talks are still in the initial stages, the ECB is understood to have given the green light for the tour, with a final decision from Sri Lanka awaited.
If agreed, this will be the fourth tri-nation series involving Pakistan since the start of 2025, the most by any full-member nation.
Pakistan’s tri-series
Last year, Pakistan also hosted the New Zealand and South Africa national cricket teams in an ODI tri-series in the build-up to the Champions Trophy. Besides that, the team also played two T20I tri-series, involving Afghanistan and UAE in August, followed by Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in November last year.
According to the Future Tours Programme (FTP), Pakistan are scheduled to host Sri Lanka during the same window for three T20Is and two Tests. The tri-series is expected to fit midway through the tour after the T20I leg.
WTC final and World Cup loom large
The series will help the teams prepare for the 2027 ODI World Cup. Pakistan also begin the business end of their World Test Championship (WTC) cycle this year.
Having played only two Tests in the Championship so far, they will feature in as many as seven red-ball games this year. The closest of these is the two-Test series against Bangladesh national cricket team, set to be played between May 8 and May 20 in Bangladesh.
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