ISLAMABAD: The West Indian national men’s cricket team has arrived for their first Test tour of Pakistan in 19 years, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed on Monday, during which they will play two Test matches. 

The last time the West Indies played a Test series on Pakistani soil was in November 2006, when they played three Tests. Their last away Test series against Pakistan was in the UAE in October 2016, which was selected as Pakistan’s home venue for cricket series after 2009 when a militant attack in Lahore scared away international cricket teams from touring the country. 

However, the former two-time ODI World Cup champions have toured Pakistan thrice since April 2018 — once for an ODI series in June 2022 and twice for a bilateral T20I series in April 2018 and December 2021. 

“West Indies Test squad arrives in Pakistan for the two-match series,” the PCB said in a post on X.

West Indies will play two consecutive Tests against Pakistan in Multan after a three-day match against Pakistan Shaheens from Jan. 10-12 at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. The first Test will be held from Jan. 17-21, followed by the second one from Jan. 25-29.

International cricket teams refused to play cricket in Pakistan for years after militants attacked the Sri Lankan cricket team’s bus in Lahore in 2009, wounding six players and killing two civilians and six security officials.

International cricket and its stars, however, slowly returned to playing in Pakistan as the security situation improved. The South Asian country is gearing up to host the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 from February to March next year. 

This will be Pakistan’s first ICC tournament on its home soil since 1996 when it co-hosted the ICC ODI World Cup, which Sri Lanka won.