The West Indies cricket team arrived on a tour of Pakistan on Thursday, giving local officials hope that the bitter memories of the New Zealand tour that were abandoned on security grounds will end. The Windies will play three Twenty20 and three One Day Internationals – all in the port city of Karachi – starting Monday, their first visit since 2018.
A Pakistan official said that a 26-member team left for Karachi in the early hours of Thursday and then reached the team hotel under heavy security.
The series comes three months after New Zealand abandoned their first tour of the country in 18 years, before the opening match was due to start following a security alert.
Read also: Rohit Sharma Man of the Moment as Balance of Power in Indian Cricket
England then decided to call off the tour by their men’s and women’s teams, scheduled for October.
Pakistani officials were angry with the cancellation, arguing that the security measures had been called off.
After the terrorist attack on a bus carrying the Sri Lankan team in Lahore in 2009, the cricket-crazy nation functioned for a long time without an international team tour.
Pakistan was forced to play its home international matches overseas – mostly in the United Arab Emirates – until 2015, when normal service temporarily resumed.
Read also: Why couldn’t Virat Kohli see the writing on the wall?
The West Indies side is somewhat vulnerable, with regulars Evin Lewis, Shimron Hetmyer, Andre Russell and Lendl Simmons all out for personal reasons.
Former captain Jason Holder has been rested, while Fabian Allen and Obed McCoy are out with injuries.
Last week captain Kieron Pollard also pulled out due to a hamstring injury, leaving the Twenty20 captaincy to Nicholas Pooran and the ODIs to Shai Hope.
Four players – Akeel Hossein, Sheldon Cottrell, Dominic Drakes and Odeon Smith – will join the squad later on Thursday.
The three T20 matches are on December 13, 14 and 16, while the ODIs will be held on December 18, 20 and 22.
T20 Team: Nicholas Pooran (c), Shai Hope, Darren Bravo, Roston Chase, Sheldon Cottrell, Dominic Drakes, Akeel Hossein, Brandon King, Kyle Meyers, Gudakesh Moti, Romario Shepherd, Odeon Smith, Oshane Thomas, Hayden Walsh Jr., Rovman Powell
ODI Team: Shai Hope (c), Nicholas Pooran, Darren Bravo, Shamrah Brooks, Roston Chase, Justin Greaves, Akeel Hossein, Alzarri Joseph, Gudakesh Moti, Anderson Phillip, Ramon Reifer, Romario Shepherd, Odeon Smith, Hayden Walsh Jr, Devon Thomas
get all IPL news and cricket score Here
,