Abu Dhabi: The Pakistan Cricket Board has finally confirmed the UAE as the home venue for the limited-over series against Australia, beginning in Sharjah on August 28. 
With Cricket Australia agreeing to play three One Day Internationals (ODIs) and three Twenty20 Internationals, the series will conclude on September 10.
Though the Australian Cricketers Association (ACA) had initially expressed concerns over the team playing ODIs during the tough summer in the UAE, the PCB’s itinerary has been accepted and the teams are expected to arrive here on August 25.
“While we always knew that we will be the hosts we are happy that the PCB has formally announced the UAE as the venue and has also confirmed the fixtures,” said Dilawar Mani, the outgoing chief executive of the Emirates Cricket Board.
“As we have always said, the UAE is most willing to step in and make Pakistan feel at home while playing their home series against international sides here. Though this will be the first international series to be played during this period, the 6pm start will not be a huge problem for the players,” Mani said.
“We have staged a lot of night cricket during the summer months and I am hopeful the series will prove to be an exciting one as both Australia and Pakistan have featured in some great contests in the past,” said Mani.
According to the schedule announced by the PCB in Lahore yesterday, Sharjah will host the first and third ODIs while Abu Dhabi will host the second ODI while Dubai will stage all three Twenty20 internationals. While the ODI’s will start at 6pm, the Twenty20 games will start at 8pm.
Meanwhile, the ACA chief Paul Marsh has not ruled out a pre-tour visit to test the weather conditions. “The ACA continues to have concerns about the weather conditions expected in the UAE at the time of the proposed series,” Paul Marsh, the CEO of the ACA had said.
“Now that the PCB and CA have agreed to a schedule of matches, we will undertake a process to assess whether or not these conditions in UAE will provide a safe environment for the players to play cricket in. This will be inclusive of consultation with various experts and a pre-tour visit to the venues,” Marsh said last week.
- Gulf News
