The PCB may consider moving one Test against England overseas

The ongoing occupation of stadiums in Pakistan has forced the PCB to consider the possibility of moving one Test of the series against England overseas. Abu Dhabi, long one of Pakistan’s “home” destinations during its decade-long exile, has been discussed as a possible alternative if needed.

Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium and the National Stadium in Karachi are under renovation. The Rawalpindi Stadium, which hosted the two Bangladesh Tests, also has renovation work done, all in an effort to be ready in time to host the Champions Trophy in February next year, the first ICC event Pakistan is scheduled to host since 1996.

Lahore does not host a match until the Champions Trophy and Karachi, which was due to host one Test in each of the Bangladesh-England series, is not expected to see action until the first Test against the West Indies in January next year.

That left Pakistan with Multan and Rawalpindi as the only two test venues. It is still possible that these two grounds will host all three Tests but there may be concerns that hosting two Tests in Rawalpindi may reduce the work going on there, which could affect the Champions Trophy.

Faisalabad’s Iqbal Cricket Stadium will host the Champions Cup from September 12 to 29, and has seen its prominence as an international venue recently, but has not hosted a Test since 2006 and is currently not a venue for Test in that series. .

Another interesting thing is about the Shanghai Corporation Organization (SCO) meeting that Pakistan is scheduled to host from October 15-16. The heads of several participating countries are expected to arrive in Islamabad for this event, and security and accommodation requirements include rules to exclude Rawalpindi as an option for the second Test, which will be played from October 15 to 19.

If the series will be played in Pakistan as a whole, that means that Pindi can still play the first and third Test, and the second will be in Multan. Multan hosting two Tests has not been ruled out as an option, and because it is the only realistic venue in Pakistan for the second Test, that would require back-to-back games in the city: either the first two or the last two.

That has left the PCB looking at their options, one of which is Abu Dhabi. Dubai and Sharjah will be hosting the Women’s T20 World Cup at that time, itself from Bangladesh. Abu Dhabi hosts Ireland’s white-ball series against South Africa which ends on October 7 – the day the first Test is scheduled to start. Despite the change in the start date of the series, that excludes the first Test in the UAE.

Whichever option the PCB ends up settling on, the pressure to do so quickly is great. A large number of England fans will attend this series, but any planning arrangements cannot be made until the venues are finalised. The coach of England, Brendon McCullum, also stated that his team must know the fields in advance to be able to choose the team.

“We really don’t know [what the final venues],” said McCullum in a press conference the night before the third Test against Sri Lanka at the Oval. “But we can’t choose a team until we know where we’re going to play. It would be great if in the next few days, we find out. Then we sit down and make sure we have the right team for the right conditions and the right opposition. “

The stadium development coincides with Pakistan’s busiest domestic season in decades, with seven Tests, four internationals, the Champions Trophy and an extended domestic calendar all jostling for space between now and next year. This development, which has been extended for a long time, has not been stopped as Pakistan prepares to host next year’s Champions Trophy.