PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) is considering moving the home series against the West Indies from Rawalpindi next month amid fears of political unrest in and around the capital in the coming weeks.
According to Sources, Multan has emerged as the best possible option to host the three-game day International series in June against the visiting West Indians on Monday.
According to sources, the PCB was forced to look at other options after former Prime Minister Imran Khan announced he would lead a protest march in the capital later this month to protest his expulsion.
Sources said, “If there is such a development, then the political situation in and around Islamabad and Rawalpindi will not be conducive to hosting the West Indies series there”.
Under normal circumstances, moving the series, which was to be played from June 812 to Lahore or Karachi, would not have been challenging. Yet the problem is that the Board has already started extensive work on the pitches at both the National Stadium in Karachi and the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
“At the moment, neither Karachi nor Lahore can host the series,” the source said. This leaves Multan Cricket Stadium the only possible option to host the series.
In February, Multan held one of Pakistan’s largest golf competitions, when international golf stars competed at the first Rumanza Golf Club. British golf great Nick Faldo attended the event, former US open champion Graeme McDowell, Spanish sensation Rafa Cabrera Bello, and England ladies’ ace Charlie Hull.
Multan has several decent hotels, which means the ingestion of the West India Squadron, which arrives in town on June 5th, shouldn’t cause any logistical problems. The only worrying fact is that Multan will be very hot in June.
Because neither Pakistan nor the West Indies has additional windows open to play all three ODI games this year, the Board must host the series in June. Pakistan’s game hosting is crucial because they are part of the 2023 World Cup Super League.
The 3 video games were part of a West Indies excursion to Pakistan in December 2021. West Indies had been because of playing 3 T20Is and 3 ODIs in Pakistan. The 3 T20Is had been completed, with Pakistan triumphing in the collection 3-0.
Regardless, Covid-19 instances commenced to spiral with inside the West Indies camp, and, with mutual consent, the ODI leg of the collection became postponed.
