Karachi: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has given its consent to play in a triangular one-day series in Zimbabwe in August-September with the West Indies as the third participating nation.
A well-informed source in the board told PTI that the PCB had conveyed its confirmation to Zimbabwe cricket for the tri-series, tentatively scheduled to start from last week of August and end in first week of September.
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"Besides the tri-series that will be held on double league basis Pakistan will also play a three-match T20 series against Zimbabwe," the source disclosed.
This is the first time that Pakistan will be playing a bilateral three-match T20 series against any team. The news about the Zimbabwe cricket board inviting Pakistan and West Indies for a tri-series has caused concern in the Bangladesh cricket board whose team is placed eighth in the ICC ODI rankings.
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The tri-series gives an opportunity to Pakistan and West Indies to improve their ODI rankings since the top eight teams in the ODI rankings on September 30 this year will automatically qualify for the 2017 Champions Trophy.
While Pakistan are placed ninth and have a five-match series in Sri Lanka before going to Zimbabwe, West Indies are placed joint eighth with Bangladesh. The source said the PCB had agreed to the tri-series since when Zimbabwe toured Pakistan in May for the short one-day series they had been promised a return visit in August.
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"Now it is entirely up to the Zimbabwe board what they organise in August and September," the source said.
Ironically, initially, Bangladesh were supposed to take part in a tri-series in Zimbabwe but had pulled out of the planned event. Zimbabwe's tour to Pakistan in May was the first by a Test team to the country in six years after militants had attacked the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore in March 2009.
