Sri Lanka to play ODIs in Pakistan

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In a press conference which was held today (22) at the Ministry of Sports, Sri Lanka Sports Minister Harin Fernando revealed that Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has taken a decision to play 3 ODIs in Pakistan.

Read: Should Sri Lanka tour Pakistan?

Previously, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) invited SLC to play a two-match Test series which was originally scheduled in October and would be included in the ICC Test Championship. The offer was extended by PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani and Managing Director Wasim Khan.

After the SLC secretory Mohan de Silva and former Air Force chief Roshan Gunathilaka led the security delegation’s visit to Pakistan in order to assess the security conditions in Lahore and Karachi cities, SLC has reached an agreement to play an ODI series instead of a Test series.

Also Read: PCB invites Sri Lanka for a 2-match Test series

According to the Minister, SLC has agreed to tour to Pakistan for an 8-day long stay and asked the Test series to be held at the United Arab Emirates. “Sri Lanka is currently having a good go in Test cricket and there is a possibility for Sri Lanka to climb further up in ICC Test rankings. So, SLC doesn’t want to take any risks with that progress as there still is a fear among few players about the tour” he added.

If the ODI series is a go, it will be only the 5th international cricket series to held in Pakistan after the Lahore attack in 2009. Previously, Thisara Perera led the Sri Lankan team that participated in a sole T20I match at Lahore in 2017.

International series held in Pakistan since 2009

  • 2015 – Zimbabwe (3 ODIs & 2 T20Is)
  • 2017 – World XI (3 T20Is)
  • 2017 – Sri Lanka (1 T20Is) 
  • 2018 – West Indies (3 T20Is)

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