Home
Cricket
ICC Champions Trophy preparations could lead to PAK vs ENG Tests shifted to UAE or Sri Lanka

ICC Champions Trophy preparations could lead to PAK vs ENG Tests shifted to UAE or Sri Lanka

The Champions Trophy will be the first ICC to be held in Pakistan since the 1996 ODI World Cup.

Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) hope of hosting the ICC Champions Trophy at home in 2025 could end up hurting them. Due to the ongoing renovations at the three venues of the mega-event (Multan, Karachi, and Rawalpindi), the upcoming Pakistan vs England 3-match Test series could be shifted to the UAE or Sri Lanka.

Lahore won’t be hosting any matches until the Champions Trophy, so all the matches must be played at the three venues. With construction going around, crowds won’t be present, and the PCB feels that isn’t feasible. They don’t want to stop the renovations as it could directly affect the Champions Trophy, and playing while the stadiums are under construction can be problematic for players.

“Matches may move back and forth, but the main target is that these stadiums are ready before the Champions Trophy. Right now we have five monthsIn that time, definitely the two enclosures on either side [in the Gaddafi stadium] and the main building [will be ready], that is the focus for now,” Naqvi had said last month on the renovations.

If, for some reason, the series has to be stopped midway, it will affect Pakistan’s already small chances of reaching the World Test Championship (WTC) Final 2025. Therefore, PCB might change the location. In the UAE, only Abu Dhabi is a viable option, as Dubai and Sharjah are already booked for the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024. The other option is Sri Lanka, but they are also hosting New Zealand for a test series during October. 

Pakistan vs England Test series schedule

TestDateVenue
1st October 7-11Multan Cricket Stadium
2ndOctober 15-19National Stadium Karachi
3rdOctober 24-28Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium
Follow
Share

Editor's Pick

IPL 2025 Auction LIVE Updates: Sarfaraz Khan unsold, brother Musheer goes to PBKS Cricket IPL 2025 Auction LIVE Updates: Sarfaraz Khan unsold, brother Musheer goes to PBKS

Top Stories

Share article
Follow us on social media
Tell us why didn’t you like our article so that we can improve on?
Choose ranking:
ICC Test Ranking
ICC ODI Ranking
ICC T20I Ranking