PCB considers moving one Test against England offshore due to ongoing stadium work

The three-match Test series between Pakistan and England, scheduled to start on October 7, may face changes due to ongoing stadium renovations by the PCB in preparation for next year's Champions Trophy in Pakistan. As a result, the matches might be moved away from Pakistan.

The series was originally set to be held in Multan, Karachi, and Rawalpindi. However, due to the renovation work, the PCB is considering relocating the series to the United Arab Emirates or Sri Lanka.

Pakistan is set to host the Champions Trophy with eight teams in February-March next year. Due to the renovation work related to this tournament, a Test match involving Bangladesh was also moved from Karachi. The second Test of the recently concluded Bangladesh-Pakistan series, which was supposed to be held in Karachi, was eventually played in Rawalpindi.

If Pakistan is to host the England series, the renovation work in Karachi and Rawalpindi would need to be halted. If the work is paused, matches would still be played in empty stadiums. Given the complexities, moving the matches to another location seems more likely. The UAE is a primary alternative, but there are venue issues there as well. The Women's T20 World Cup has been moved from Bangladesh to the UAE, with matches scheduled in Dubai and Sharjah. Therefore, Pakistan could only host the matches against England in Abu Dhabi. However, playing three Tests at a single venue is challenging, so the PCB is also considering Sri Lanka as an alternative venue.

Meanwhile, England is facing complications due to the uncertainty about the final venue. England's head coach, Brendon McCullum, commented:

"We really do not know the final venue. We cannot select a team until we know where we are going to play. It would be good to find out in the next few days. Then we can sit down and finalize the squad for the right conditions and the right opposition."