Pak-BD One-Dayer to be played on April 1

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cric­ket Board Wednesday said that it has accepted the request from the Bangladesh Cricket Board to reschedule the one-off One-Day International to allow their players more time to prepare for the second game of ICC World Test Championship, which commences at the National Stadium from April 5.

The ODI was originally planned for April 3 in Karachi, but will now be held on April 1 at the same venue with Bangladesh team now scheduled to arrive on March 29 in Karachi.

Pakistan are ranked sixth on the ICC ODI team rankings, 12 points ahead of seventh-ranked Bangladesh.

PCB Director (international cricket) Zakir Khan said: “The PCB is always happy to facilitate wherever it can and will be delighted to host the Bangladesh men’s national team for additional days in Karachi. There is already a lot of excitement and buzz about the upcoming international matches and the PCB expects the quality of cricket will live up to the expectations of the fans and followers.”

Pakistan won the first Test in Rawalpindi by an innings and 44 runs. Pakistan is presently sitting fifth on the points table with 140 points from five Tests. A win in Karachi will help Pakistan leapfrog New Zealand (180 points in seven Tests) and England (146 points in nine Tests) into third place.

India lead the championship table with 360 points, followed by Australia (296 points). The top two sides in the nine-team competition will qualify for the final to be held in England next year.

Updated schedule: March 29: Bangladesh team’s arrival in Karachi.

March 30-31: Practice.

April 1: ODI, Karachi.

April 2-4: Practice.

April 5-9: 2nd Test, Karachi.