West Indies to play Test series in Pakistan after 19 years

The West Indies men’s cricket team will visit Pakistan for a two-match Test series in January 2025, marking their first Test tour to the country in 19 years, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed on Tuesday.

The matches are part of the ICC World Test Championship.

The tour will commence on 6 January when the West Indies team arrives in Islamabad. Before the Test series, the visiting side will play a three-day warm-up match against Pakistan Shaheens from 10 to 12 January at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

The Test series itself will take place in Multan, with the first Test scheduled from January 17 to 21 and the second from January 25 to 29. 

The last time the West Indies played a Test series in Pakistan was in November 2006, when they participated in a three-match series.

While this will be their first Test tour of Pakistan in nearly two decades, the West Indies have visited Pakistan for limited-overs cricket. They played an ODI series in Multan in June 2022 and two bilateral T20I series, in April 2018 and December 2021.

Tour Schedule:

• 10-12 January: Three-day match vs Pakistan Shaheens, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium
• 17-21 January: First Test, Multan Cricket Stadium
• 25-29 January: Second Test, Multan Cricket Stadium

Meanwhile, the PCB has officially confirmed the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as the neutral venue for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy. In a statement issued on Sunday, the PCB announced that the decision had been communicated to the ICC.