Islamabad [Pakistan]: The second Test between Pakistan and England has been shifted from Karachi to Multan due to the ongoing renovation work at the stadium for the next year’s ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced a revised schedule for their upcoming three-match Test series against England on Friday.
The second Test was originally planned at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi from October 15 to 19. After the change, the second Test will take place at the Multan Cricket Stadium.
The remaining two Tests will be played as originally planned. The first match will begin on October 7 in Multan, and the third clash will be played from October 24 to 28 in Rawalpindi.
“The match has been shifted from Karachi to Multan as the National Bank Stadium is undergoing a major facelift for next year’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which will also be played at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium and Rawalpindi’s Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium,” the PCB said in a statement.
The England team will arrive in Multan on October 2, while the Pakistan team will also assemble in Multan on the same day as well.
This isn’t the first instance when a Test match has been shifted from Karachi to another venue. During Pakistan’s Test series against Bangladesh, the second match was shifted from Karachi to Rawalpindi due to the construction work at the stadium.
In their recent home Test series against Bangladesh, the Shan Masood-led side suffered a 2-0 series whitewash.
It was the first instance when Pakistan tasted the sour flavour of defeat against Bangladesh in the Test format.
Pakistan hit rock bottom after dropping to eighth position in the latest ICC Test Rankings, their lowest since 1965.
Their latest slump in red-ball cricket marked their lowest ranking in the Test format, barring the period where they did not have a place in the rankings due to an insufficient number of matches.
Masood has yet to win a Test match since taking the captaincy role in red-ball cricket. He suffered a 3-0 away Test series defeat against Australia.
Masood will look to clinch his first victory as Pakistan Test captain in the upcoming series against England.