Pakistan vs West Indies: PCB shifts ODI series venue from Rawalpindi to Multan

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to shift the upcoming three-match One Day International series between Pakistan and the West Indies to Multan. The cricket board made this decision on Monday, May 30. The bilateral series was originally scheduled to be held at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

The West Indies had toured Pakistan back in December for a limited-overs series. While the hosts comfortably won the T20Is 3-0 without breaking a sweat, the ODI leg was forced to be postponed to a later date after multiple cases of COVID-19 were confirmed by the West Indies team and support staff. Later, PCB confirmed that the rescheduled series will be played in June.

Why has PCB decided to shift the venue for PAK vs WI?

The Pakistan Cricket Board has not given the exact details regarding why there has been a change in the venue at the last moment, but according to reports in DAWN, the move has been made due to the “ongoing political tensions in the country and the possibility of a sit-in by former Prime Minister Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf to be staged from Wednesday, June 1.”

Imran Khan had to resign from his position after a no-confidence motion was passed against him in April due to his alleged involvement in economic mismanagement and mishandling of the country’s foreign policy. He was succeeded by Shehbaz Sharif.

Coming back to cricketing action, the Pakistan team will be led by one of the modern-day white-ball superstars in world cricket, Babar Azam. Wicketkeeper-batter Nicholas Pooran will be leading the Caribbean side. The upcoming ODI series will be a part of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 qualification. The three games will be played on June 8, 10, and 12 respectively.

Pakistan will be oozing with confidence heading into this home series having beaten the five-time world champions Australia comprehensively 2-1 in the three-match series nearly a couple of months ago, after having lost the series opener.