The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) remains optimistic about convincing Cricket West Indies (CWI) to replace the planned three-match ODI series with additional T20 Internationals during the July-August window this year.
PCB CEO Sumair Ahmed said on Tuesday that discussions with the West Indies board are in their final stages and a decision is likely within the next couple of days.
“With the T20 World Cup scheduled for early next year, our primary goal is to maximize T20 match exposure for our team,” Sumair stated during a press conference in Lahore.
Interestingly, while PCB continues negotiations, CWI has already begun selling tickets for the originally announced series, which includes three T20Is and three ODIs.
Pakistan is scheduled to play the T20Is in Lauderhill, Florida, and the ODIs in Trinidad. The West Indies board has launched promotional ticketing schemes, including a “buy one, get one free” offer and a 50% discount on single-ticket prices. ODI ticket rates currently range from USD 8 to USD 175.
Despite this, Sumair emphasized that talks are still active. “Preparing for the upcoming T20 World Cup is our top priority. That’s why we only scheduled T20Is against Bangladesh and are requesting West Indies to increase T20 matches while dropping the ODIs,” he said.
He added that a final decision should be announced within the next one to two days.
Sumair also stated that the squad for the West Indies tour will be revealed after the match formats are confirmed. If the ODI series goes ahead as planned, the PCB may announce different squads for the ODIs and T20Is.
He further added that the PCB is working to organize a T20I tri-series in the UAE featuring Afghanistan and the host nation, although Afghanistan is currently scheduled to tour Pakistan in August.
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