Reports: Pakistan to play seven T20Is against England in Lahore, Karachi

Pakistan will welcome England for a seven-match T20I series later this year before the T20 World Cup. In the latest development, one of the sources in the Pakistani Cricket board has revealed that Lahore and Karachi will be the only two venues that will host the matches of the T20I series.

England will visit the Pakistani soil after a long wait of 17 years and will be part of an extended white-ball series, to be tentatively played between September 15 and October 2. However, the dates of the fixtures are yet to be finalized. Pakistan saw a jubilant crowd at Multan Cricket Stadium earlier this month when they hosted West Indies for an ODI series as the country embraced international cricket at the venue after an absence of more than a decade.

The source also stated that the board had considered other smaller international stadiums like Faisalabad and Multan to host the matches of the series, but they later dropped those plans as they are expecting the series to attract a large crowd, which is harder to manage at smaller venues.

“Karachi and Lahore are the two main venues for the series and Rawalpindi has been added as a backup as well. But with England coming to Pakistan after 17 long years the conclusion is that there will be big crowds even in Karachi and Lahore for the matches,” a source said.

Pakistan will host England for three Tests after the T20 World Cup

The Pakistan team suffered a disappointing 1-0 Test series loss to Australia earlier this year and will be traveling to Sri Lanka for a two-match Test series next month. They will be hosting England for a three-match Test series after the culmination of the T20 World Cup in November and the PCB has decided to host the Test series at smaller venues like Faisalabad and Multan.

“During the available time the smaller venues will be prepared for the Test matches,” the source added.

The Pakistan Board is expecting a visit by the English delegation sometime between July and August to finalize the dates and venues for the fixtures of the T20I series.