The twelve upcoming home international matches featuring England, Sri Lanka and Pakistan from October 9 to November 21 will be played exclusively in Lahore and Rawalpindi. In doing so, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has overlooked vibrant, cricket-hungry venues like Faisalabad, Karachi, and Multan – effectively ignoring its fundamental responsibility to develop and spread the game across as many cities as possible.

Rawalpindi is set to stage three T20Is against Sri Lanka (October 9–13), three matches of the tri-nation ODI series with England as the third side (October 18–22), and the first Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka from November 9–13. Meanwhile, Lahore will host three group-stage ODIs, the tri-nation series final, and the second Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka (November 17–21).

Rawalpindi and Multan did not host any Pakistan Super League 2026 matches, while Karachi and Lahore shared the matches in closed doors as part of the PCB’s austerity drive. Faisalabad, on the other hand, has been largely sidelined since last year when it staged the Pakistan versus South Africa ODIs.

The National Bank Stadium in Karachi is Pakistan’s most experienced Test venue, having hosted 47 Tests. But, it has not staged a five-day match since the second Test against New Zealand in January 2023. It is also the country’s second-most experienced ODI venue, with 59 matches. But, it has hosted five matches since May 2023, three featuring Pakistan. Of these five matches, three were in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. It has also played host to 11 T20Is.

In the period from May 2023 to date, Gaddafi Stadium has staged 11 ODIs, four featuring Pakistan, Rawalpindi has held seven ODIs, five involving Pakistan, Multan has staged one ODI between Pakistan and Nepal, and Faisalabad hosted the three-match ODI series between Pakistan and South Africa.

While international cricket has almost completely stayed away from the National Bank Stadium, the venue has also hosted limited domestic cricket. Most recently, the PCB chose to host the four-team National Champions Cup in the scorching, late-summer heat of Multan, completely overlooking a much more weather-friendly Karachi.

The PCB may point to the National Bank Stadium’s history of renovation — a first phase, completed in early 2025 ahead of the Champions Trophy, cost PKR 3.5 billion. A further PKR 6.7 billion was approved for the stadium’s continued upgradation, alongside other infrastructure projects nationwide, at the PCB’s Board of Governors meeting on 29 June 2026 — but that work has yet to commence.

Nonetheless, the upcoming fixtures will provide the Pakistan cricket team with highly useful match practice across all three formats, offering valuable exposure to the next generation of players as part of the team’s transition and development. The tri-nation series will be particularly vital, serving as a crucial stepping stone for the side to prepare for next year’s ICC Men’s 50-over Cricket World Cup 2027.

This will be Pakistan’s second tri-series since February 2025, when New Zealand and South Africa joined the hosts in the build-up to the Champions Trophy – a tournament ultimately won by New Zealand.

Schedule of matches:

T20Is (Pakistan v Sri Lanka)

9 Oct – First T20I, Rawalpindi
11 Oct – Second T20I, Rawalpindi
13 Oct – Third T20I, Rawalpindi

ODIs (Pakistan, England and Sri Lanka)

18 Oct – Pakistan v Sri Lanka, Rawalpindi
20 Oct – Pakistan v England, Rawalpindi
22 Oct – Sri Lanka v England, Rawalpindi
25 Oct – Pakistan v England, Lahore
27 Oct – Pakistan v Sri Lanka, Lahore
29 Oct –Sri Lanka v England, Lahore
31 Oct – Tri-series final, Lahore

Tests (Pakistan v Sri Lanka)

9-13 Nov – First Test, Rawalpindi
17-21 Nov – Second Test, Lahore