WICB announces Pakistan tour schedule

Guyana, St Lucia and St Vincent and Grenadines will host the five ODIs and two Twenty20 Internationals between West Indies and Pakistan in July, according to the schedule released by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) on Thursday.

Pakistan will play the first two ODIs in Guyana on July 14 and 16, and the remaining ODIs will be played in St Lucia on July 19, 21 and 24. The two T20Is will be played at the Arnos Vale Cricket Ground in St Vincent on July 27 and 28. The visitors will also play a 50-over warm-up game in Guyana before the start of the series.

Pakistan were originally scheduled to play two Tests, five ODIs and two Twenty20s in the Caribbean in June and July, but West Indies planned a tri-series involving India and Sri Lanka, which shortened the window. The WICB had asked the PCB if their tour could be rescheduled to August. That, however, interfered with Pakistan's plan to host India and to play out the Zimbabwe series that was postponed in 2012.

Guyana will host an international match after a year's gap. The Guyana National Stadium last hosted an ODI in 2011 between West Indies and Pakistan. Administrative disputes between the WICB, the Guyana Cricket Board and the Guyanese government had resulted in a Test against Australia in 2012 being shifted to another venue.