THREE T20IS IN KARACHI: WI women to visit Pakistan

LAHORE: West Indies, the last non-Asian women’s team to tour Pakistan, are set to play in the country again after nearly 15 years.

The series, comprising three Twenty20 Internationals, will take place in Karachi from January 31 to February 3, and will mark the resumption of women’s international cricket in Pakistan since they hosted Bangladesh for two T20Is and two ODIs in September 2015.

West Indies had last toured Pakistan in March 2004 for an ODI series. They were only the second team overall to play in the country, after Netherlands. They will play the three T20Is at the Southend Club in Karachi, before moving to Dubai for three ODIs that will be part of the 2017-21 ICC Women’s Championship.

The West Indies women will arrive in Dubai on January 26 before travelling to Karachi on January 30.

“The visit of the West Indies women’s team to Karachi is great news not only for Pakistan cricket but for women’s cricket in general,” Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chief Operating Officer Subhan Ahmad said. “We are thankful to Cricket West Indies and their players for trusting the PCB and agreeing to play three T20Is in Karachi.

“The decision of Cricket West Indies endorses our position that Pakistan is as safe and secure as any other country. On behalf of the PCB, I would like to say that we are confident that this tour will go a long way in the complete revival of international cricket in Pakistan.

“By playing in Karachi, they will also contribute to the growth and popularity of women’s cricket in this part of the world. I am sure this series will inspire a number of young women cricketers to take up this great sport.”

CWI Chief Executive Johnny Grave said: “This tour is a further major step for our friends at the Pakistan Cricket Board to bring their cricket back home, and we are pleased that our players and support staff have recognised this and supported this venture.

“The security plan arranged by the PCB is of exactly the same level that the Windies men’s team had last year and independent security advisors, Eastern Star International (ESI), have

confirmed to both the CWI and WIPA that they are satisfied that the risk is manageable and can be mitigated to an acceptable level.

Last year, the West Indies men’s team played three T20Is in Karachi, snapping a near-decade absence of top-flight, bilateral international cricket in Pakistan, enforced by the attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore in 2009.

Bismah Maroof is set to return as the Pakistan captain for the West Indies series. Following a sinus surgery in July 2018, Bismah had stepped down from the position.

Fixtures: 1st T20I: January 31, Karachi; 2nd T20I: February 1, Karachi; 3rd T20I: February 3, Karachi; 1st ODI: February 7, Dubai; 2nd ODI: February 9, Dubai; 3rd ODI: February 11, Dubai.