Pakistan to play West Indies in day-night Test

West Indies and India are now going to play two Twenty20 Internationals in Lauderhill, Florida, on August 27 and 28. India won the series 2-0 after rain and bad outfield played spoilsport in the fourth Test at Port of Spain.

The PCB will also be hosting eleven matches of its premier first-class competition, the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, under lights with the pink ball as it tries to embrace the concept of day and night Test.

The lack of action meant India won the four-Test series 2-0 but surrendered top spot in the International Cricket Council (ICC) rankings to Pakistan, less than a week after taking over the number one position from Australia.

Pakistan’s chances picked up after a splendid 10-wicket win over England which levelled the recently concluded four-Test series.

Exposure to first-class cricket is key, but I contend, as no one seems willing to openly admit that our first-class season, for obvious financial reasons, will never be long enough, and will never be of a sufficiently high standard to enable players to develop adequately. To top the Test table, which boasts some of the best sides and players, is something to be very proud of.

It capped a remarkable rise under captain Misbah-ul-Haq’s leadership for a team who were almost thrown out of the global arena over a spot-fixing scandal on their tour of England in 2010. The 14-member Indian team will see the return of as many as 11 regular players, who were rested from the successful tour to Zimbabwe in May earlier this year. “If we can achieve these on a consistent basis, then I am sure there will more laurels like this down the line”.

ICC Chief Executive David Richardson explained what he hopes the USA will get out of matches between the sides ranked second and third in the T20I rankings. “Misbah and his side deserve our heartiest congratulations. The number one tag was in the minds of all the players and it motivated us a lot”, Misbah wrote on Cricket Australia’s (CA) website. The two nations meet in a short T20 series, which consists of two T20Is. “The battle for the top ranking has made it even more exciting for all fans”. The details of the presentation ceremony will be announced in due course.

“Once this has been done it will be presented to the WICB [West Indies Cricket Board]”.

In 1998, the first Test of the series at Sabina Park in Jamaica lasted less than an hour before the umpires determined that the pitch was too unsafe for the English batsmen to cope with genuine fast bowling.

However, Simmons said there would not be much of a transition to make to the T20 format seeing the team, under new captain Carlos Brathwaite, was nearly a completely different one to the Test set-up. Brathwaite’s T20I statistics are not definitely mind-blowing by any stretch of imagination, but his ability to bludgeon the bowling and bowl a few useful overs could turn the match in his team’s favour.