Pakistan to only play 2 Tests on Sri Lanka tour after hosts request cancelation of ODI series
Pakistan's upcoming tour of Sri Lanka has seen a major change, with the hosts requesting for the ODI series to be scrapped. The itinerary, as a result, has been reduced to a couple of Tests as part of the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.
The two Asian sides were scheduled to compete in a three-match ODI series in July-August following the conclusion of the Test series. However, the hosts are looking to cut their financial losses by staging the Lankan Premier League (LPL) one week before the stipulated schedule.
Pakistan to play two Tests only on Sri Lanka tour, ODI series scrapped
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) had requested PCB to remove ODIs as they are planning to stage Lanka Premier League (LPL) one week before the scheduled time cricketpakistan.com.pk/en/news/detail…
Since the limited-overs matches were not part of the ODI World Cup Super League, Pakistan obliged the request made by the island nation.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Director of Media Sami-ul-Hasan Burney said that the final schedule will be released shortly.
"Sri Lankan board wants to start their league a week ago to reduce the financial deficit, so they asked us to remove the ODI series, which was accepted," he said. "Since the ODIs were not part of the World Cup Super League, we did not object. The final schedule of the series is still being discussed and will be released soon."
Pakistan's hopes of qualifying for the World Test Championship final took a major hit following a 1-0 loss to Australia at home earlier this year. The Babar Azam-led side will play their last away series in the WTC cycle with a trip to Sri Lanka before hosting New Zealand and England.
Sri Lanka are battling their worst-ever economic crisis
Amid severe political tension, the island nation is in a state of utter turmoil due to its worst-ever economic crisis. The situation has even left the team's upcoming multi-format series against Australia in doubt. Although Cricket Australia has named its squads for the tour, a decision will be made in the coming days.
Australia tour of Sri Lanka 2022:
First T20 - June 7
Second T20 - June 8
Third T20 - June 11
First ODI - June 14
Second ODI - June 16
Third ODI - June 19
Fourth ODI - June 21
Fifth ODI - June 24
First Test - June 29 to July 3
Second Test - July 8 to July 12
The constant power shortages, which reportedly last up to 12 hours a day, might jeopardize the prospect of hosting day-night encounters. Sri Lanka is also assigned to host the Asia Cup later this year and the power shortage could prove to be a hindrance despite the facilities having their own generators.
The Dimuth Karunaratne-led side are currently on a tour of Bangladesh, where they will compete in two Tests in Chattogram and Dhaka, starting on May 15.