Windies tour to Pakistan postponed due to smog, will take place in 2018

After a long standstill, the cricket-starved nation which has produced some of the finest cricketers over the years is enjoying its share of cricketing action. After a successful tour against the ICC World XI team, Pakistan managed to host another T20I match where the home side battled it out with the Sri Lankan lions. The Windies were expected to tour Pakistan for a three-match T20I series later this month, but it has been postponed due to smog.

The ongoing issue of smog in Lahore has forced the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to delay the much awaited series. Regarding the new dates, PCB is trying to communicate with their Windian counterparts, the Cricket Windies (CWI). They are trying their best to announce the dates in the next few days.

However, not just this series, the super eight matches of Quaid-e-Azam trophy which were scheduled to be held in Punjab were forced to shift elsewhere owing to the same reason. As per reports in Dawn, the series will now happen in March 2018. “West Indies tour to Pakistan postponed due to smog, will take place in 2018,” an official said while speaking to Dawn.

Six Windian players unwilling to play

Though PCB managed to successfully host the T20I match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, many Lankan players refused to tour Pakistan. As it stands, six Windian players are unwilling to visit Pakistan for the series. Some of the notable mentions among the six players are opening batter Chris Gayle and renowned all-rounders Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo.

As per the initial reports, Lahore is expected to host this series just like the T20I against Lanka, with the game to be played at the Gaddafi Stadium. However, at least one match is expected to be staged at The National Stadium in Karachi, after it was declared safe by the security consultancy firm Eastern Star International.