The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday confirmed that Rawalpindi will host the first Test against England, as initially scheduled. The Three Lions will be touring Pakistan for a three-match Test series, starting December 1. Questions loomed over the conduct of the opening game in Rawalpindi due to ongoing political unrest in the city. Several media reports stated that the venue could be changed but the PCB has ended all speculations. After Rawalpindi, the remaining two games will be played in Multan and Karachi, respectively.
The game in Rawalpindi will be England’s first Test in Pakistan in 17 years. However, the anti-government protest led by former prime minister Imran Khan raised the prospect of a shift to Karachi. In fact, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has been monitoring the situation for quite a long time now.
According to ESPN Cricinfo, ECB’s security advisor Reg Dickason is in Pakistan to asses the arrangements for the Test series. At the same time, PCB is confident enough to conduct the game as per the original schedule.
The city of Rawalpindi has been witnessing political unrest following an assassination attempt on Imran during a rally last month. The 1992 World Cup-winning captain suffered injuries to his right leg. With his political party, PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf), he is planning a long march on to Islamabad, demanding fresh elections. Imran hasn’t been a part of the march due to the injury but has promised to join once it enters the city.
The ongoing situation has also affected the domestic fixtures in the city. The Quaid-e-Azam trophy game between Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at the Pind Stadium was delayed for a day as the teams were unable to commute from the hotel to the stadium. Ultimately, it was called off with both teams taking 5 points each. As a result, Rawalpindi is not scheduled to host any further games.
Fixture of Pakistan vs England Test series:
Dec 1 – Dec 5: 1st Test, Rawalpindi
Dec 9 – Dec 13: 2nd Test, Multan
Dec 17 – Dec 21: 3rd Test, Karachi
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