Sri Lanka Women to tour Pakistan for three ODIs and T20Is in May-June
All games will be played in Karachi and the ODIs will count towards the ICC Women's Championship
ESPNcricinfo staff
14-Apr-2022
Sri Lanka have not played ODIs since October 2019 • Getty Images
Sri Lanka Women are finally set to play their first big series - apart from qualifier tournaments - since the 2020 T20 World Cup in Australia when they tour Pakistan for three T20Is and as many ODIs in May-June this year. The Commonwealth Games Qualifiers earlier this year, which they won, is the only series Sri Lanka have played since the pandemic began after their tour of Pakistan late last year hit a stumbling block following a change in management at the PCB.
The Sri Lankan and Pakistani teams will arrive in Karachi on May 19 for the three T20Is on May 24, 26 and 28 followed by the ODIs on June 1, 3 and 4, which will be part of the ICC Women's Championship. A group of 26 Pakistani players will also undergo an 11-day camp at the Academy Oval ground adjacent to the National Stadium.
It will be the first series for Pakistan Women at home since West Indies toured the nation back in December 2018. A PCB release said it will also be the first international series in Pakistan that will be played outside the hard Managed Event Environment since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
It will also be the first series to kickstart the third edition of the ICC Women's Championship, to run from 2022 to 2025.
All participants of the series, including the players, team officials and match officials, will undergo on-arrival tests and will be expected to follow the SOPs to protect themselves from the virus. Anybody who tests positive will be required to undergo five days of isolation.
"It is a great privilege for us to play the ICC Women's Championship on our home soil and the side is very excited to welcome Sri Lanka," Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof said. "This edition provides us an opportunity to start fresh and make the most of the home advantage.
"I am sure the team will perform to their fullest potential and the Pakistan cricket fans, who have extended us great support, will get to see better and consistent results."
At the end of the tour, the Pakistan players will fly to Ireland for a T20I tri-series involving the hosts and world champions Australia, before they move to Birmingham in England for eight-team Commonwealth Games.