'No Test will be played outside Pakistan': PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi clears air on change in venue for England series

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi addressed concerns about the upcoming home Test series against England. He dismissed reports suggesting that the series might be relocated and confirmed that the matches will indeed be held in Pakistan. Earlier reports suggested that there is a possibility of moving the three-match Test series to Sri Lanka or the UAE. This uncertainty was attributed to ongoing renovation work at the stadiums in preparation for next year's ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan.

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PCB chief dismisses report of venue change for Pakistan vs England Test series

However, PCB chief has now quashed all the rumours about the relocation of series and confirmed that it will be staged in Multan and Rawalpindi. 

“No Tests will be played outside [the country]. Multan and Rawalpindi venues are final,” Naqvi told reporters, as quoted from Geo News.

Recently, PCB relocated the second Test of Pakistan's recently-concluded series against Bangladesh from Karachi to Rawalpindi. The original schedule had already been revised to exclude spectators due to ongoing renovation work at the Karachi stadium. However, construction experts advised the PCB that the construction process could continue during match hours, potentially distracting and disturbing the players with noise and dust. Based on this assessment, the PCB deemed it necessary to relocate the match to Rawalpindi to ensure a conducive playing environment.

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England's former all-format head coach, Brendon McCullum, addressed this matter during a press conference at The Oval on Thursday, September 5.

"We don't know , but we can't pick a team until we know where we're going to play," McCullum said. 

"It would be nice if, over the next couple of days, we found out. Then we'll sit down and make sure we've got the right team for the right conditions and the right opposition," he added.

Pakistan and England are set to face off in a three-match Test series, which is part of the ongoing International Cricket Council World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle. The series will commence on October 7 in Multan, followed by the second Test in Karachi on October 15. The final Test of the series will be played in Rawalpindi on October 24.

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