Mohsin Naqvi confirms that the Pakistan-England Test series will be held in Multan and Rawalpindi [Post Updated #92]

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As per reports:

The upcoming cricket series between Pakistan and England is facing uncertainty due to the incomplete preparation of stadiums, which may lead to relocating the matches to the UAE or Sri Lanka.

This series, part of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25, is set to begin with the first Test from October 7 to 11 in Multan, followed by the second Test from October 15 to 19 in Karachi, and the third from October 24 to 28 in Rawalpindi.

Construction projects in Rawalpindi, similar to those ongoing in Lahore and Karachi, present significant challenges for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as it gears up for the much-anticipated 2025 Champions Trophy.

If construction is halted to accommodate the series, it will severely impact the readiness of the stadiums for the upcoming major event hosted in Pakistan. Additionally, the anticipated arrival of England's Barmy Army fan group presents another logistical challenge, as hosting matches without spectators is not a feasible option.

Given these issues, the PCB is exploring alternative venues. The UAE is the preferred choice, but scheduling conflicts arise due to the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup, which is scheduled to take place in Dubai and Sharjah from October 3 to 20, overlapping with the Pakistan-England series.

This leaves Abu Dhabi as the only potential venue in the UAE. Consequently, PCB officials are also considering Sri Lanka as a possible host. A final decision will be made after discussions with the England Cricket Board (ECB) in the coming days.
 
It should relocate to UAE.

Taking pakistan out of uae deteriorated our cricket beyond belief.

Ik people have an issue with my obsession over uae, but trust me you guys have no idea what ramiz and Naqvi turned pakistani pitches into.

Uae brought out the best in pakistan in test and the best of pakistan in 2017 due to psl being played in 2016 in uae
 
I have some friends who occasionally go on barmy army tours. They wanted to go to Pakistan again but there was uncertainty around the schedule so the barmy army can't make bookings.

Pakistan admin is a shambles at the moment.
 
So Pakistan has only 3 international cricket grounds? A large cricket crazy nation of 24 Cr population and seven decades of international cricket experience has managed to build just three cricketing centres in it?

As Athar Ali Khan would say.. "Oh my word". :shakib
 
Thank you Naqvi.

Every passing day proves what a genius you are.
Players view him at a superstar level though. They are impressed by his work ethic which is he's morning in Lahore, evening in Dubai, next day in London.

Dumb fools the dumber.
 
So Pakistan has only 3 international cricket grounds? A large cricket crazy nation of 24 Cr population and seven decades of international cricket experience has managed to build just three cricketing centres in it?

As Athar Ali Khan would say.. "Oh my word". :shakib
There are plenty of cricket grounds and in the past famous test matches played in them, particularly Faisalabad and Peshawar . However, due to the need to give presidential security other grounds aren't as suitable currently for a variety of reasons ( main one is that is difficult to fully lock down the surroundings).
 
The only venue available is Rawalpindi

Pakistan know England will make Alloo Bhindi of Pakistan at this venue
Venues won't matter. In UAE theirs even less chance of Pakistan performing.
 
Take the matches to the smaller venues like Faislabad, Gujranwalla and Muzaffarabad
 
Clearly bricking it as they don’t know how to win at home.

I bet Misbah came up with this brilliant idea.

Bhaiyoooooo! I had another epiffany!

Now that you have bared witness of the miracle of Fakhar at no.4 and Rizwan at no.1, the higher power has commanded me to inform you that we must leave Pakistan and move to the UAE.
 
Pak should play all the 3 matches in galle to give them a win on that pitch via toss
 
Players view him at a superstar level though. They are impressed by his work ethic which is he's morning in Lahore, evening in Dubai, next day in London.

Dumb fools the dumber.
To be honest I would be mighty impressed by him too if he was signing off on my pay cheque every month.

Establishment needs to realise their blunder and get someone else.
 
I don’t know what to say. I can’t even attempt to make fun of this. It’s just starting to feel bad. God knows how are Pakistanis so weak they can let their administrators do this to them.
 
I don’t know what to say. I can’t even attempt to make fun of this. It’s just starting to feel bad. God knows how are Pakistanis so weak they can let their administrators do this to them.

Not having a cricket tour is the least of their complaints with the administration tbh.
 
Best idea. Pakistan would have a better chance of winning a game in UAE or Sri Lanka than in Pakistan
 
All this for a Champions Trophy that's most likely not going to take place in Pakistan.

Investments are long term.
Yes , most likely the Chanpions trophy will be moved to Sri Lanka. Even Pakistan knows that, but they’re preparing for 2027-28 season in advance.
 
Opportunity for seeing some of the best cricketers in the world lost. Opportunity for tourism lost. Opportunity for some positive economy lost.

Textbook PCB.
 
In the whole of Pakistan, you're telling me there's only 3 pitches and matches can't be relocated to other cricket grounds?
 
This shows the problem in Pakistan cricket is not the captain, it is the PCB. A total lack of leadership at PCB level. Shan masood, Rizwan, sarfaraz - does not matter who is future captain; the results will not be consistent. PCB only has temporary fixes and then hopes some passionate cricketer from a village does in cricket, what arshad Nadeem did.
 
Thank you Naqvi.

Every passing day proves what a genius you are.
Naqvi is not solely at fault, he was selected in Feb this year. However, CT was awarded to Pakistan in November in 2021, what actions his predecessors took regularly renovation work at grounds from Ramiz to Sethi to Zaka?
 
Ramiz Raja planned on getting drop in stadiums from England and Australia? @gazza619

Ramiz disclosed that 2023 was going to be the year for infrastructure development. However he got replaced before he could execute his plans
 
Why don’t Pakistani cricket fans protest against their board?
Mohsin Naqvi is our Interior Minister. Our journalists lack the courage to criticize him or demand his resignation over recent developments. Given the dreadful state of affairs, no one wants to risk disappearing in broad daylight.
 
In that case PCB shouldn't be host. Will the same rules apply when WC in India 2026? Will we play in neutral venue?
PCB should not be hosts. Ik alot of people are upset but here me out.

A) India will never ever come, and until friendly realtions are established which if it ever happens will be 200 to 500 years away, theirs no point. And sadly bcci are ICC's biggest funders and India vs Pakistan is ICC's biggest ticket seller.

B) The pitches are in literally zero condition to host a sport, yes rn construction is underway so we'll see but these pitches are unsuited to host a test match and odi and t20 matches won't be balanced.

C) Whether people like it or not, UAE was the place where pakistan improved, they were quality pitches and to top it off, better quality international players were travelling to uae for PSL. 2017 ct happened because our players got exposed to top quality batters and bowlers on top quality pitches.
 
Ramiz Raja planned on getting drop in stadiums from England and Australia? @gazza619
Naqvi has been here for 7 months.

In professional organisations you would typically have a 6 month probation period and are given some initial objectives to achieve.

Naqvi has failed and is by far the worse PCB chairman.
 
No batsman no bowlers no stadiums Pak cricket is beyond finished. At least Fakhar zaman use to fluke a innings once in a while & Shaheen swing in the first over to win Pak a game that seems a distance memory.
 
Feels like an excuse to move the game(s) to a set of conditions where Pak might have a better chance of winning. Doesn’t feel fair on Eng fans who will have long since booked their trips out to Pakistan to support the team.
 
Naqvi has been here for 7 months.

In professional organisations you would typically have a 6 month probation period and are given some initial objectives to achieve.

Naqvi has failed and is by far the worse PCB chairman.

Is he worse than Ijaz Butt. :ibutt
 
Feels like an excuse to move the game(s) to a set of conditions where Pak might have a better chance of winning. Doesn’t feel fair on Eng fans who will have long since booked their trips out to Pakistan to support the team.

Surely the portion of Barmy Army supporters is a small fraction of those who visit Aus/WI?
 
As per reports:

The upcoming cricket series between Pakistan and England is facing uncertainty due to the incomplete preparation of stadiums, which may lead to relocating the matches to the UAE or Sri Lanka.

This series, part of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25, is set to begin with the first Test from October 7 to 11 in Multan, followed by the second Test from October 15 to 19 in Karachi, and the third from October 24 to 28 in Rawalpindi.

Construction projects in Rawalpindi, similar to those ongoing in Lahore and Karachi, present significant challenges for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as it gears up for the much-anticipated 2025 Champions Trophy.

If construction is halted to accommodate the series, it will severely impact the readiness of the stadiums for the upcoming major event hosted in Pakistan. Additionally, the anticipated arrival of England's Barmy Army fan group presents another logistical challenge, as hosting matches without spectators is not a feasible option.

Given these issues, the PCB is exploring alternative venues. The UAE is the preferred choice, but scheduling conflicts arise due to the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup, which is scheduled to take place in Dubai and Sharjah from October 3 to 20, overlapping with the Pakistan-England series.

This leaves Abu Dhabi as the only potential venue in the UAE. Consequently, PCB officials are also considering Sri Lanka as a possible host. A final decision will be made after discussions with the England Cricket Board (ECB) in the coming days.
Why would BCCI do this to poor, hardworking PCB?
 
Pakistan needs an English or Australian as a PCB chairman instead of coaches.
 
I stand with my criticism of Naqvi as posted in one of the other thread. Whilst some posters on here genuinely believe that he is a "world class administrator". When you ask these same posters to cite one such world class achievement of his the conversation gets diverted onto Rizwan :ROFLMAO:
 
Mohsin Naqvi is our Interior Minister. Our journalists lack the courage to criticize him or demand his resignation over recent developments. Given the dreadful state of affairs, no one wants to risk disappearing in broad daylight.

So what’s the solution, if I may ask?

If you are educated leave the country?
 
Clearly a strategic move as PCB knows their best chance to beat Eng is in spin friendly UAE tracks. The stadium restructuring is an excuse but actually they are chickening out on facing Eng at home.

This has to be the lowest of the lows. It is one thing to get defeated against BD, USA, Ire etc. It is sports and anything can happen. But moving your home games away just bcoz you are scared of facing the opposition at home is cowardly act.

How will they host the Champions trophy? Here I was adamant that CT should be be played in Pakistan but now PCB behaving like this.
 
Feels like an excuse to move the game(s) to a set of conditions where Pak might have a better chance of winning. Doesn’t feel fair on Eng fans who will have long since booked their trips out to Pakistan to support the team.

Almost certainly is not an excuse for that. There are no conditions in which PAK has an edge over England.
 
PCB should not be hosts. Ik alot of people are upset but here me out.

A) India will never ever come, and until friendly realtions are established which if it ever happens will be 200 to 500 years away, theirs no point. And sadly bcci are ICC's biggest funders and India vs Pakistan is ICC's biggest ticket seller.

B) The pitches are in literally zero condition to host a sport, yes rn construction is underway so we'll see but these pitches are unsuited to host a test match and odi and t20 matches won't be balanced.

C) Whether people like it or not, UAE was the place where pakistan improved, they were quality pitches and to top it off, better quality international players were travelling to uae for PSL. 2017 ct happened because our players got exposed to top quality batters and bowlers on top quality pitches.
We won in UAE due to Yiounis and Misbah and an Ajmal with a questionable action. As soon as they left our team has been a shambles.

It'll be the same trash served up in the UAE.
 
Take the matches to the smaller venues like Faislabad, Gujranwalla and Muzaffarabad
Multan. its hosted PSL games. can easily play 1 if not two tests there.

Also, in Karachi there are other stadiums. maybe can use defence stadium. anyway no locals come hardly, just need enough space for barmy army.

Sialkot used to be decent long time back not sure how it is these days.
 
Almost certainly is not an excuse for that. There are no conditions in which PAK has an edge over England.

Pak lost 2 home series in a decade in the UAE/neutral years, whereas they have already lost 3 home series since Test cricket returned to Pakistan. They’re a strong team in UAE conditions.
 
Pak lost 2 home series in a decade in the UAE/neutral years, whereas they have already lost 3 home series since Test cricket returned to Pakistan. They’re a strong team in UAE conditions.
That was a decade ago when they had Misbah , YK and one of Ajmal/Yasir.

They don't have spinners of that quality to take 20 wickets in the UAE anymore.
 
Pak lost 2 home series in a decade in the UAE/neutral years, whereas they have already lost 3 home series since Test cricket returned to Pakistan. They’re a strong team in UAE conditions.
This current team will not be unless Pakistan bring in their grandad spinners

England batters will not find it easy against them.
 
That was a decade ago when they had Misbah , YK and one of Ajmal/Yasir.

They don't have spinners of that quality to take 20 wickets in the UAE anymore.

Can you please enlighten me, IF YOU think any team can beat us in Indian conditions?. With shaheen, naseem we would destroy even india.:sneaky:
 
We won in UAE due to Yiounis and Misbah and an Ajmal with a questionable action. As soon as they left our team has been a shambles.

It'll be the same trash served up in the UAE.
We'll obviously lose in UAE lol, I'm not talking about this series, I'm thinking long term
 
And Pakistan fans are expect champions trophy to be played in pakistan where you cannot even host a test series for whatever reason.
 
UAE is already confirmed to host Women's T20 WC at same time so most likely SL
 
Yeah what happened to guys like Yasir Shah, Mohammad Abbas? I recall Yasir Shah scoring a century in Australia recently or has that been sometimes ago? He was unplayable in UAE.
 
Are they renovating all the stadiums? Why can't they relocate to another stadium?
 
There are plenty of cricket grounds and in the past famous test matches played in them, particularly Faisalabad and Peshawar . However, due to the need to give presidential security other grounds aren't as suitable currently for a variety of reasons ( main one is that is difficult to fully lock down the surroundings).

Also a lack of 5 star options in some cities aswell as chronic under investment in these centres.
 

Brendon McCullum calls for clarity as England remain in the dark over Pakistan series​


Three-match tour scheduled to start in Multan on October 7

England remain in the dark over the fate of next month’s Test tour to Pakistan, amid reports construction delays could see the series moved to the United Arab Emirates.

Head coach Brendon McCullum called for clarity as England struggle to plan for a three-match series that is scheduled to start in Multan on October 7, little more than four weeks from now.

Rawalpindi and Karachi are also due to host Tests, but both venues are undergoing renovations ahead of next year’s Champions Trophy.

The Express Tribune, a Pakistani publication, has reported that the series could be moved to either the UAE or Sri Lanka, though it is thought the latter of those locations is unlikely.

One solution could see part of the series played in the UAE and the rest in Multan, which
is not down to host Champions Trophy matches.

“We don’t really know,” said McCullum, when asked about the situation at Kia Oval on Thursday ahead of the Third Test against Sri Lanka. “But we can’t pick a team until we know where we’re going to play.

“It would be nice if over the next couple of days, we found out. And then we’ll sit down and make sure we’ve got the right team for the right conditions and the right opposition.”

Karachi was scheduled to host the Second Test between Pakistan and Bangladesh earlier this week, but the match was moved to Rawalpindi because of the delays.

However, building work is now said to have started in Rawalpindi as well as Pakistan prepares to host what would be its first major ICC event since 1996.

The situation is made more farcical by the uncertainty over whether the Champions Trophy will even go ahead in its planned form, given India’s unwillingness to travel to Pakistan because of political tensions between the rivals.

England played two Test series against Pakistan in the UAE during the decade when international cricket was kept away from the country because of security concerns following the 2009 gun attack on Sri Lanka’s players in Lahore.

The Test tour to Pakistan two years ago was England’s first since 2006 and finished in a 3-0 series win.

Source: The Standard
 
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Just looking at the scorecards of one of my best memories of Pakistan cricket England 2005 Test series. How we have fallen.
 
According to a sports reporter, it is the ECB who is putting pressure on the PCB to shift the Khi test match to Abu Dhabi.

Some officials in the PCB are excited at the prospect of touring and enjoying a free ride in the UAE.

The PCB is considering hosting the Khi test match in Faisalabad Iqbal Stadium
 
According to a sports reporter, it is the ECB who is putting pressure on the PCB to shift the Khi test match to Abu Dhabi.

Some officials in the PCB are excited at the prospect of touring and enjoying a free ride in the UAE.

The PCB is considering hosting the Khi test match in Faisalabad Iqbal Stadium
I hope this is true regarding Iqbal stadium
 
I hope this is true regarding Iqbal stadium

It makes sense as well because the Champions ODI Cup will be played there therefore the stadium in any case will be getting a face lift. Also the Hotel facilities in Faisalabad are better than Multan.

We need to diversify and move away from Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Multan e.t.c.
 
We’ll see how ready Iqbal stadium will be as it’s hosting all of the Champions Cup matches
 
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