Pakistan Tour Of Sri Lanka: ODI Series Scrapped; SLC Plans To Hold LPL 2022

The ODI series of Pakistan tour of Sri Lanka 2022 has been scrapped as the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) plans to stage the third edition of Lanka Premier League (LPL) during that period.

Last month, it was reported that Pakistan will play a couple of Test matches and three One-Day Internationals in the Island nation in July-August later this year. 

SLC wants to start LPL: PCB 

PCB confirmed that their counterpart wants to hold LPL 2022 and since the ODI series was not supposed to be the part of the World Cup Super League, PCB agreed to scrap the series. 

“Sri Lankan board (SLC) wants to start their league a week ago to reduce the financial deficit, so they asked us to remove the ODI series, which was accepted,” PCB Director Media Sami-ul-Hasan Burney said, as reported by Cricket Pakistan. 

“Since the ODIs were not part of the World Cup Super League, we did not object. The final schedule of the series is still being discussed and will be released soon,” he added.

Pakistan to play Test series against Sri Lanka after ODI series being scrapped

The two-match Test series will be part of the ICC World Test Championship 2021-23 cycle. The last time the two sides met in a red-ball series was in 2019 when Sri Lanka toured Pakistan becoming the first team to visit there after the 2009 Lahore atatcks. Pakistan won the two-match series 1-0.

Sri Lanka is currently in Bangladesh for a two-match Test series due to begin on May 15 at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram.

Ahead of Pakistan, Sri Lanka will host Australia for three T20Is, five ODIs, and a couple of Tests. The month-long series is scheduled to start on June 7 with the first T20 International match in Colombo.

Reports had emerged that Australia might cancel the tour amid economic crisis in the island nation. However, both the boards – SLC and Cricket Australia (CA) – have said the tour will go ahead as per the schedule.

Also Read: Australia Tour Of Sri Lanka Expected To Go Ahead As Per Schedule