Sri Lanka to play Pakistan in UAE later this year

Sri Lanka will tour United Arab Emirates (UAE) in December this year to play Pakistan’s scheduled home series. The series will be held in the months of December and January, consisting of three Tests, five ODIs and two Twenty20.

This is the second bilateral series in UAE between Sri Lanka and Pakistan to be played in Sharjah, Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

The T20s will be held first, followed by ODIs and Tests.

Pakistan will play Afghanistan in the only T20 before the Sri Lanka series, the date of which is yet to be decided.

The tour will start in Dubai where the two T20s will be held on December 11 and 13. Sharjah will host the first ODI while the last two will be held in Abu Dhabi.

All of the three cities- Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah will host one Test match each in that order.

PCB confirmed in a statement that the tour itinerary has been approved with consultation with the Sri Lanka cricket board.

Since the terrorist attack on the Sri Lanka team in Lahore in March 09, Pakistan has been forced to play their home series under the Future Tour Program(FTP) away from home, with United Arab Emirates being their preferred venue.

Last time the two sides met in UAE, Pakistan won the series comfortably.

Following next year in 2012 in Sri Lanka, Pakistan lost both the Test and ODI series while the T20 series was tied. The entire schedule is as follows:

Ist T20 : 11 December, Dubai
IInd T20: 13 December, Dubai
Ist ODI : 18 December, Sharjah
IInd ODI: 20 December, Dubai
IIIrd ODI : 22 December, Sharjah
IVth ODI : 25 December, Abu Dhabi
Vth ODI : 27 December, Abu Dhabi
Ist Test : 31 December- 4 January, Dubai
IInd Test : 8-12 January, Abu Dhabi
IIIrd Test : 16-20 January, Sharjah