The three-match one-day international series between Pakistan and West Indies have been shifted from Rawalpindi to Multan because of the political uncertainty in the federal capital, as the cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan plans to start a long march towards Islamabad if the government fails to fulfil its demands within the six-day deadline.
“The games, which are part of ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League, will take place on the dates announced earlier ie June 8, 10 and 12, with the matches starting at 4:00pm,” the Pakistan Cricket Board said in a statement on Monday.
The decision to start the match at 4:00pm is taken apparently because of the hot weather in the twin cities.
There were media reports that the PCB might shift the series to some other location because of the PTI’s ‘Azadi March’ on May 25. Though it ended on the same day the Imran-led party had announced their decision to again take the streets.
The green shirts training camp will be held in Lahore from June 1-4 before the squad will move to the city of saints on June 5. Pacer Haris Rauf and all-rounder Shadab Khan, presently playing county cricket in England, will arrive on June 1 and join the camp from the next day.
“The West Indies squad will arrive in Islamabad on 6 June and will travel to Multan on a charter flight,” it said.
Series schedule
Pakistan squad:
Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper/batter), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper/batter), Mohammad Wasim Junior, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani and Zahid Mahmood.
