Sri Lanka A tour of Pakistan put on hold amid political protests

The rest of Sri Lanka A's tour of Pakistan has been indefinitely postponed due to mass protests in Islamabad by supporters of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), a political party spearheaded by erstwhile Pakistan captain and prime minister Imran Khan. The two remaining 50-over matches were scheduled to be played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Ground, the international cricket stadium in Rawalpindi on November 27 and 29.

The PCB explained that the postponement was due to "political activity" in Islamabad, which is the capital of Pakistan.

"The Pakistan Cricket Board, in consultation with Sri Lanka Cricket, has postponed the last two 50-over matches of the Pakistan Shaheens-Sri Lanka A series due to a political activity in the federal capital," a PCB statement said.

"The last two matches were scheduled for Wednesday and Friday at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Both boards will collaborate to finalise new dates to complete the series," the cricket-governing body added.

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The PCB was worried about the repurcussions of the PTI protests on the series since last week. A few days ago, it announced that the first one-dayer, which was set to be held at the Rawalpindi Cricket Ground, would be shifted to Islamabad Club.

The second and third 50-over matches, as per the PCB, would have been played as initially planned at the Rawalpindi Cricket Ground on November 27 and 29. The venue alteration for the first encounter was necessary because it was scheduled for November 25, the day after Imran Khan has issued what he termed as a "final call" for his supporters to march to the capital to demand, among other things, his release from prison. There have reportedly been incidents of clashes and violence between protestors and law enforcers.

The protests have led to a deadlock between Imran's supporters and the federal government. It has also captured the attention of PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also serving as the country's Interior Minister. He has said that the army had been called into action to get things under control.

Sri Lanka A's tour of Pakistan got underway earlier this month with two unofficial Test matches. Pakistan A won the first game by seven wickets before the second encounter ended in a draw. Both matches were played in Rawalpindi. The first one-dayer saw the home side winning by a comprehensive margin of 108 runs. The series postponement is a disappointing news for Pakistan, especially as it comes amid the confusion regarding the hosting of the Champions Trophy 2025.