West Indies men’s cricket team will return to Pakistan for a three-match Twenty20 International (T20I) series in early 2023, the Pakistan Cricket Board said in a press release on Wednesday.

They are already scheduled to play a three-match ODI series in Pakistan in June 2022 to make up for the postponed matches earlier this month, the PCB said, adding that the series will be part of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League.

Now, the West Indies will return for another T20I series ahead of the eighth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

The West Indies cricket team were scheduled to play three T20Is and as many ODIs when they toured Pakistan earlier this month. However, the team flew back after the T20I series as eight of their squad members, including six players, tested positive for the virus.

With Devon Thomas sidelined with a finger injury, the visiting side was left with limited choices for ODIs, as they feared more of their players would get infected. Therefore, Cricket West Indies (CWI) and the PCB mutually decided to postpone the series until June 2022.

“Taking into consideration both the teams’ welfare as well as limited resources in the West Indies side for the ODIs, it has been agreed that the series, which forms part of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League, will be postponed and rescheduled for early June 2022," a joint statement issued by the PCB and the Cricket West Indies (CWI) said.

“This will provide the West Indies with an equal opportunity to field their best available players for the World Cup qualification matches,” it added.

Besides, the PCB expects to host Australia in February-March 2022, England in October-November, and New Zealand in December, and then again in April 2023.

This article was published in Business Recorder on December 22, 2021.