F.P. Report
Karachi: West Indies women’s cricket team will play three Twenty20 Internationals in Karachi in the build-up to the ICC Women’s Championship fourth round fixture.
The three T20Is will be played on January 31, February 1 and 3 at the Southend Club, following which the two sides will go head to head in three ODIs in Dubai on February 7, 9 and 11. The first ODI will be played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, while the second and third ODIs will be played at the ICC Academy.
As part of their series preparation, the 2016 ICC Women’s World T20 champions will arrive in Dubai on January 26, before traveling to Karachi on January 30. Meanwhile, the Pakistan women’s cricket team has already begun preparations for the series by attending a training camp presently in progress in Karachi.
The news of the West Indies women’s cricket team’s tour to Karachi comes at the back of the commitment from around world’s 35 leading men’s cricketers, including AB de Villiers, to participate in the HBL Pakistan Super League 2019 matches in Lahore and Karachi.
This will be the West Indies women’s first tour to Karachi in 15 years. In March/April 2004, the West Indies played a drawn Test in Pakistan and won a seven-ODI series 5-2.
“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 and their players for trusting the PCB and agreeing to play three T20Is in Karachi,” PCB Chief Operating Officer Subhan Ahmad said.
Apart from winning the ICC Women’s World T20 2016 in Kolkata, the West Indies women’s cricket team also reached the semifinals of the same event in 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2018. The West Indies are currently ranked fourth in the ICC T20I rankings, while Pakistan is ranked seventh. In the ODI table, the West Indies are sixth and Pakistan seventh. After three rounds of the ICC Women’s Championship, the West Indies are sitting in fourth position on nine points with four wins and as many defeats, while Pakistan are sixth on eight points with four wins and five loses.
