The Sri Lanka A team's tour to Pakistan has been put on hold due to the political protests in Islamabad, ESPNCricinfo reported. Sri Lanka A and Pakistan Shaheens faced each other in the first of the three one-dayers on November 25, however, due to the protests by supporters of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, the party led by former Prime Minister Imran Khan, the two games have been indefinitely postponed.
The Pakistan Cricket Board also released a statement, however, the board said that the postponement was due to 'political activity' in Islamabad. "The Pakistan Cricket Board, in consultation with Sri Lanka Cricket, has postponed the last two 50-over matches of the Pakistan Shaheens-Sri Lanka ‘A’ series due to a political activity in the federal capital," PCB said in a statement.
All three matches were scheduled to take place at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. However, the first one-dayer was moved to the Islamabad Club which Pakistan Shaheens won by 108 runs. The last two matches, according to the PCB, would have taken place at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on November 27 and 29. In its statement, the PCB added that the board would consult with the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) to finalise the dates of the two games.
"The last two matches were scheduled for Wednesday and Friday at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Both boards will collaborate to finalise new dates to complete the series. The Shaheens lead the series, having won the two four-day matches 1-0 and the opening 50-over match on Monday by 108 runs," the statement added.
This comes months ahead of the upcoming Champions Trophy in Pakistan. As per the draft schedule shared by the PCB to the ICC, three venues - Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi - are set to host all of the Champions Trophy matches from February 19 onwards. Rawalpindi, the city that had to host all three matches between Pakistan Shaheens and Sri Lanka A, is among one of the three cities hosting the upcoming ICC tournament.
