ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s national cricket men and women’s sides will have a busy year ahead, according to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) which announced the cricket schedule for the next 12 months on Friday.
Pakistan hosted Australia for a complete series that featured three Test matches, three ODIs and a one-off T20I fixture in March/April 2021. The tour was a historic one as the Australian cricket team arrived in Pakistan after over two decades.
Earlier today, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced that five men and women international sides will visit Pakistan eight times from May 2022 and May 2023 for Tests, ODIs and T20Is.
“Pakistan men’s national cricket team is scheduled to play seven Tests, 17 ODIs and a minimum of 25 T20Is in the next 12 months as the Pakistan Cricket Board confirmed and unveiled their upcoming international commitments,” a statement from the board said.
The national men’s team will play seven Tests, all of which will be part of the ICC World Test Championship, against Sri Lanka (2), England (3) and New Zealand (2). The men’s side will play at least 25 ODIs. Out of these, 12 matches will be part of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League matches against the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and the West Indies.
In the shortest format of the game, T20, Pakistan men’s side will feature in the Asia Cup T20 in August/September and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Australia 2022 from October 15 to November 15 where they are guaranteed a minimum of five T20Is each.
Apart from these two world events, Pakistan is scheduled to play T20Is against England (seven), West Indies (three) and New Zealand (five).
New Zealand, in addition to the five ODIs in April 2023, will also play five T20Is.
The women’s side will feature in three ICC Women’s Championship series matches against Sri Lanka, Ireland (both home) and Australia (away), the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, the 19th Asian Games in Guangzhou, the ACC Women’s T20 Cup (venue TBC), the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2023 South Africa and the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 South Africa.
In addition to this, Pakistan women will take on Ireland and Australia in a triangular T20 series in Belfast in the lead up to the Birmingham Games.
Pakistan will also see plenty of international cricket played on its soil in the next 12 months. The West Indies, England and New Zealand men’s sides will tour Pakistan twice each, while Sri Lanka and Ireland women will visit Pakistan in May/June and October/November, said the PCB.
PCB’s schedule for the next 12 months:
24 May - 5 June - Sri Lanka Women in Karachi (3 ODIs & 3 T20Is)
5-12 June - West Indies Men in Rawalpindi (3 ODIs)
Jul-Aug - Pakistan Men to Sri Lanka (2 Tests & 3 ODIs)
12-24 Jul - Pakistan Women to Belfast for tri-series (4T20Is)
25 Jul-8 Aug - Pakistan Women for Birmingham Commonwealth Games (7 T20Is)
Aug – Pakistan Men to Netherlands (three ODIs)
1-17 Sept – Pakistan Men to Sri Lanka for ACC T20 Cup (5 T20Is)
10-25 Sep – Pakistan Women and Pakistan Shaheens to Gangzhou, China, for 19th Asia Games
Sep-Oct – England Men to Pakistan (7 T20Is)
Oct - ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup (8 T20Is, venue TBC)
15 Oct-15 Nov - ICC Men's T20 World Cup in Australia, (5 T20Is)
30 Oct-19 Nov - Ireland Women to Lahore/Karachi (3 ODIs & 3 T20Is)
Nov-Dec - England Men to Pakistan (3 Tests)
Dec-Jan - New Zealand Men to Pakistan (2 Tests & 3 ODIs)
4 Jan-1 Feb - Pakistan Women to Australia (3 ODIs & 3 T20Is)
Jan - West Indies Men to Pakistan (3 T20Is)
Jan-Feb - ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup, South Africa
2-26 Feb - ICC Women's T20 World Cup, South Africa
Apr-May – New Zealand Men to Pakistan (5 ODIs & 5 T20Is
