Pakistan postpones West Indies Tests to play more T20s

AFP | Karachi

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Pakistan has postponed a two-match home Test series against the West Indies until 2025 to better prepare for next year’s Twenty20 World Cup, officials said Tuesday.

The Pakistan Cricket Board said the team would now play an additional 10 T20 matches against New Zealand in the 2023-24 season, while a home series of two Tests and three T20s against the West Indies would be pushed back until January 2025.

The move is a “strategic decision to provide best preparation opportunities for the T20 World Cup 2024”, the board said in a statement. Pakistan and New Zealand will play T20s in Auckland (Jan 12), Hamilton (Jan 14), Dunedin (Jan 17) and Christchurch (Jan 19 and 21).

New Zealand will make a return visit to Pakistan in April 2024 for five T20s. The next T20 World Cup will be held in the West Indies and United States in June 2024. Prior to that, Pakistan also has three T20s against the Netherlands, two against Ireland and four with England -- all away.