Pakistan to play limited-overs series in Netherlands and Ireland before their full-tour to England in 2020

The Pakistan Cricket team has been consistently touring the European isles in the past few years. While they toured for a full-tour of England in 2016, they played another Test series in the English isles two years later (in 2018) before returning for a series of white-ball legs prior to the World Cup earlier this year.

During their 2018 tour of England, Pakistan also visited Ireland to feature in the latter’s maiden Test match. The game was keenly contested before Pakistan held on to their nerves to eventually win the game by five wickets. As the Green Shirts take on Sri Lanka in their first ODI series at home since 2009, the Pakistan Cricket Board has announced that the team will play two limited-overs series in the Netherlands and Ireland next year.

The twin series against the Irish and the Dutch will be held in the month of July. The team will first play a three-match ODI series in Holland before locking horns with Ireland in a two-match T20I series. An official announcement in this regard will be made at a later stage, added the PCB Spokesperson.

The twin series against Ireland and Netherlands will be followed by the national sides’ full-tour of England; one that will see them play 3-Test matches followed by as many T20Is. While the Tests will be played at Lord’s, Manchester and Nottingham, the T20Is will take place at Leeds, Cardiff, and Southampton.

Pakistan is the No.1 ranked side in the world as far as T20I cricket is concerned, and the team will look to fine-tune whatever chinks they have in their armor in the aforementioned tours before the T20 World Cup kicks-off in Australia next October. The Green Shirts are currently involved in a 3-match ODI series against Sri Lanka.

This is the first time any full-member has visited Pakistan for an ODI series since 2009 and even though the first game ended in a washout, Babar Azam and Usman Shinwari ensure they celebrated crickets homecoming with match-winning performances in the 2nd game at Karachi. While Azam went on to score his 11th ODI hundred, Usman Shinwari [5-51] wrecked through Sri Lanka’s top-order to set-up a 67-run win for the hosts.

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