The return of international cricket to Pakistan got another boost on Thursday with the West Indies women’s team being confirmed to tour the country at the end of January.
The Windies women will play three T20s against their Pakistan counterparts in Karachi with the first match of the series taking place on January 31.
The series will be the first time that an international women’s team has toured Pakistan since Bangladesh did in September, 2015. The tour comes on the back of the visit of the West Indies men’s team to the country last year.
“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. We are thankful to Cricket West Indies (CWI) and their players for trusting the PCB and agreeing to play three T20Is in Karachi,” PCB Chief Operating Officer Subhan Ahmad said.
“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.
📰 West Indies women to play three T20Is in Karachi https://t.co/ySnThMS0Tt
— PCB Official (@TheRealPCB) January 24, 2019
“The PCB and the CWI have a very long history of collaboration and mutual respect, and this decision further illustrates strong relationship between the two boards. With the West Indies women’s cricket team’s agreement to partake in the three T20Is, the CWI has reiterated their support for a key member of the cricket fraternity in a time when we are working extremely hard to get international cricket back into our backyard.”
Cricket West Indies chief executive Johnny Grave welcomed the development as he reiterated the board’s commitment to helping international cricket return to Pakistan.
“Following the successful hosting of the Windies’ men’s team in Pakistan in April 2018, we have confirmed to the PCB that our Windies women’s squad will now also play a three-match T20I series in Karachi,” he 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,” Grave added.
The three T20s between the Pakistan and West Indies women’s outfits will take place at the Southend Club in Karachi following which the two teams will move on to the UAE to play a three-match ODI series.
