PCB to host England Test series entirely in Pakistan

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has all but confirmed that the upcoming three-Test home series England will be played entirely in the country. The development was confirmed by PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi's spokesperson Mohammad Rafiullah to cricket news website ESPNCricinfo.

The news of series going to be held in Pakistan comes amid the reports of PCB thinking to move Karachi Test (second one) to outside the country. It is because of the ongoing renovation work at multiple venues, including Karachi, for the ICC Champions Trophy. Pakistan are scheduled to the ICC tournament in February-March next year.

The stadium work made PCB think of playing one Test in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with Sharjah and Dubai out of the question due to upcoming Women's T20 World Cup shifted from Bangladesh.

PCB chairman Mohasin Naqvi, while inspecting Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, apparently confirmed the England series being played in Pakistan with Multan and Rawalpindi as the venues.

It is, however, still unclear that which venue will host the relocated Karachi Test. With Shanghai Corporation Organisation (SCO) summit scheduled in Islamabad on October 15-16, Rawalpindi, the twin city of the capital, doesn't look an ideal venue for the second Test.

England Cricket Board (ECB), meanwhile, has also given the go-ahead to play the series in Pakistan. England coach Brendon McCullum, however, wants the venues to be finalised quickly so they can name the squad accordingly.

The series against England could be defining for Pakistan skipper Shan Masood who's undergoing some scrutiny following the two-Test series loss against Bangladesh.

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