PCB announce revised schedule for Australia's tour of Pakistan

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced a revised itinerary for the upcoming all-format series against Australia. The series comprises of three Tests, three ODIs and a solitary T20 fixture.

An earlier schedule saw the series begin in Karachi with the first Test, while Rawalpindi and Lahore were given the rights to host the remaining Tests. The entire white-ball leg was slated to be contested at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

According to the revised schedule, the tour will now begin and end in Rawalpindi. The first Test and the entire white-ball fixtures will be played in the northern city while Lahore and Karachi will host the second and the third Test respectively. PCB Chief Executive Faisal Hasnain said:

"We are pleased that the Cricket Australia Board has formally approved their side’s five-week tour itinerary and confirmed that their best available players will visit Pakistan for the first time in 24 years. We are really excited to host Pat Cummins and his players, and look forward to a competitive series that will comprise three Tests, three ODIs and a T20I."

Cricket Australia had put in a formal request following the announcement of the tour itinerary. They wished for all the Tests to be played at a single venue for health and security reasons. The Pakistan Cricket Board initially dismissed the request by claiming that hosting three Test matches at a single venue was impossible. However, they have now gone onto approve the request.

The series will mark the Aussies' first visit to Pakistan in 24 years. The squad for the Test series will have to undergo isolation in the home country before boarding a chartered plane to Islamabad on February 27. The team can commence training following a single day quarantine in Rawalpindi, the venue of the tour's opening match.

The ODI squad are scheduled to arrive on March 24 after an isolation period in Australia. The members will integrate with the rest of the squad and then travel back to Rawalpindi for the second half of the tour. David Warner and Mitchell Starc are expected to miss the ODI and T20I series.

The team from Down Under will arrive on the subcontinent after playing a five-match T20I series against Sri Lanka.

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Revised schedule for Australia's tour of Pakistan

4-8 March – First Test, Rawalpindi.

12-16 March – Second Test, Karachi.

21-25 March – Third Test, Lahore.

29 March – First ODI, Rawalpindi.

31 March – Second ODI, Rawalpindi.

2 April – Third ODI, Rawalpindi.

5 April – One-off T20I, Rawalpindi.