Sri Lanka set to return to Lahore next month for T20: PCB

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Saturday announced the schedule of the upcoming series between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, confirming that a T20 match will be played in Lahore on October 29.

Find an itinerary at the end of this story.

"The five-match ODI series between the two teams will be played in three cities, i.e. Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah starting from October 13, 2017," the PCB said.

"Furthermore, the first two T-20I matches will be played in Abu Dhabi followed by the third T-20I to take place in Lahore in continuation with the return of international cricket following World XI tour to Pakistan," it added.

The first two will be played in Pakistan’s adopted United Arab Emirates (UAE) ‘home’ after a two-test series starting in Abu Dhabi on September 28 and five one-day internationals.

The second of the two matches will be a pink-ball, day-and-night Test, with the matches ending on October 10, confirmed PCB. 

The two teams will also play two Twenty20 matches in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah.

One Day Internationals (ODI) will start and end on October 13 and 23, respectively. All ODIs will be day-and-night matches. 

Following the ODIs, the two teams will face off in three T20s.

Return of international cricket

Sri Lanka will be returning to Lahore eight years after a deadly militant attack on the team in the Pakistan city brought top international games there to a standstill.

Apart from a short visit in 2015 by Zimbabwe — that played five limited-overs games in Lahore — Pakistan has been starved of international cricket since the 2009 attack, in which six security staff and two civilians were killed and six of Sri Lanka’s players were wounded.

The Sri Lankan cricket board approved the tour of its team to Pakistan last month.

On the other hand, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has also given its backing to a World XI, led by South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis, playing a three-match T20 series in Lahore from Tuesday in a bid to help revive international cricket in the country.

Leading cricket nations had shunned playing in Pakistan since the Lahore attack. However, there were hopeful signs when the country successfully staged the final of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) — the rest of which was played in UAE — under heavy security in March.

Addressing the Asian Cricket Council in Colombo last month, Sri Lanka cricket chief Thilanga Sumathipala called for an end to Pakistan´s isolation and urged other nations to resume playing there.

Itinerary

Tests

September 28-October 2, first test, Abu Dhabi

October 6-10, second test (day-night), Dubai

ODIs

October 13, first ODI, Dubai

October 16, second ODI, Abu Dhabi

October 18, third ODI, Abu Dhabi

October 24, fourth ODI, Sharjah

October 23, fifth ODI, Sharjah

T20I

October 26, first T20I, Abu Dhabi

October 27, second T20I, Abu Dhabi

October 29, third T20I, Lahore