Pakistan-West Indies ODI series shifted from Rawalpindi to Multan

The upcoming three-game ODI series between Pakistan and West Indies will now take place in Multan instead of Rawalpindi. According to ESPNCricinfo, the decision comes due to political uncertainty in Islamabad, adjacent to Rawalpindi. However, the dates of the fixtures remain unchanged.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had kept Multan as their backup option due to the possibility of former Prime Minister Imran Khan hosting rallies in Islamabad.

While the original rally happened on May 25th, more rallies could follow over the coming days. With pitches in Lahore and Karachi being revamped and Peshawar's ground under renovation, Multan remained the only plausible option.

All the games will start at 4 PM in the afternoon to neutralize the scorching weather conditions. The hosts will have a training camp in Lahore from June 1st to 4th before the 16-man squad moves to Multan later.

The West Indies, led by Nicholas Pooran, will arrive in Islamabad on June 6th and will travel to Multan via a charter flight.

The forthcoming ODI leg is the continuation of the T20 series in December as a COVID outbreak in the tourists' camp forced a postponement. The ODI series will have no bio-bubbles for either team.

Led by Babar Azam, the home side swept the three-game T20 series in Karachi, winning by 63 runs, nine runs, and seven wickets the three games, respectively.

The Men in Green are coming off a win in the ODI series against Australia at home. However, they lost the lone T20I and the red-ball leg to the same team on their tour. Meanwhile, India blanked the West Indies team before the IPL in three ODIs and as many T20Is.

Pakistan and West Indies squads for the series

Pakistan squad: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan (vc), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani, Zahid Mahmood.

West Indies squad: Nicholas Pooran (c), Shai Hope (vc), Nkrumah Bonner, Akeal Hosein, Keacy Carty, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Shermon Lewis, Kyle Mayers, Anderson Phillip, Rovman Powell, Jayden Seales, Romario Shepherd, Hayden Walsh.