PCB is in a bind as its venues are being renovated for ICC CT 2025.
Reports stated that with Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium and the National Stadium in Karachi undergoing renovations for ICC Champions Trophy 2025, PCB is finding it difficult to organize venues for the three-Test England series that begins in October.
Lahore is not scheduled to host a match until the Champions Trophy, while Karachi, which was previously assigned a Test against Bangladesh, will play its debut game against the West Indies in January next year.
It has left Pakistan with two alternatives for hosting Test cricket: Multan and Rawalpindi. There is a chance that all three Tests against England may be played at these two grounds, but this could impede down operations in Rawalpindi.
Hence PCB is reportedly trying to move the England series to Abu Dhabi, once the Pakistan team’s home ground when teams refused to travel due to security issues after post terror attack on the Sri Lanka team.
Faisalabad’s Iqbal Cricket Stadium has also emerged as a potential replacement especially as it will host the Champions Cup. But it has not hosted a Test since 2006 and is not a likely venue for a Test either.
Meanwhile, another issue is the forthcoming Shanghai Corporation Organisation (SCO) conference is scheduled for October 15-16. The heads of numerous governments are scheduled to gather in Islamabad for the occasion, while security and housing requirements rule out Rawalpindi as a venue for the second Test, which will be held from October 15 to 19.
If Pakistan hosts the series, Rawalpindi can host the first and third Tests, while Multan will host the second. Multan has another choice for hosting back-to-back Tests: the initial two or the last two.
Speaking about the same, Brendon McCullum said that unless they do not have information about the venues of the Test series, they cannot pick a squad.
“We don’t really know (what is happening in Pakistan) but we can’t pick a team until we know where we’re going to play. It would be nice if, over the next couple of days, we found out. Then we’ll sit down and make sure we’ve got the right team for the right conditions and the right opposition,” McCullum told reporters ahead of the 3rd England v Sri Lanka Test at the Oval.
Meanwhile, PCB is left with very few options with even less time to go. If the Test series is shifted overseas, the UAE is a strong contender, with Abu Dhabi the sole candidate. The T20 Women's World Cup, which was relocated from Bangladesh, is scheduled to take place in Dubai and Sharjah during that time frame.
However, Abu Dhabi is scheduled to host an Ireland against South Africa white-ball series that will conclude on October 7 - the same day as the first Test match.
With the clock ticking and time running out, PCB needs to make a rapid decision. England are currently scheduled to play the first Test in Multan from October 7, followed by matches at Karachi and Rawalpindi.
(ANI/Firstpost inputs)