Lahore and Multan to stage day-night matches

Lahore's boisterous fans have the chance to take in a day-night match © Getty Images

According to a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official, the PCB has scheduled only two of the five one-day Internationals between India and Pakistan under lights in February due to logistical and security reasons.

The official told the Daily News that day-night matches would only be played in Lahore and Multan with the remaining games to be all day fixtures -- in Peshawar, Rawalpindi and Karachi.

"Our contractors have completed 70 % of the work of installing a floodlights system at the Multan Cricket Stadium and we hope the towers would be installed before the one-dayer against India is held there on February 16," the official stated. He explained India was not playing a night match in Rawalpindi and Karachi which had floodlights mainly due to logistical reasons. "They play in Rawalpindi on February 11 and fly to Lahore for the next game on February 13. Since there is only a one-day gap between the two games it was felt it would be better if the players didn't have to play a day-night fixture in Rawalpindi and could reach Lahore the same day.Similarly in Karachi they play the final one-dayer on February 19 and are scheduled to fly home the same night which is why we've preferred a day match there."

But he admitted that some security reasons were also behind the decision to have day games in Rawalpindi and Karachi, adding, "While Peshawar has no facilities to have day-night games".

Apparently, the PCB has scheduled a day match in Karachi specifically on the advice of the security agencies. The official said the two day-night fixtures would start at 11.00am to enable an early end to avoid problems with dew and foggy weather.

On their last tour to Pakistan in 2003-04, India played day-night one-day matches in Lahore and Rawalpindi.