Pakistan will host Ireland for a one-day international series early next year, after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) shelved plans for a bigger programme that also included a one-off Test and a triangular series with Zimbabwe, The Express Tribune reported.
According to a well-placed source, the PCB had first considered hosting Ireland for a Test and an ODI series, alongside a tri-series involving Zimbabwe. The wider programme was judged financially unviable, and the board scaled it back to ODIs only.
Building towards the 2027 World Cup
The decision reflects Pakistan’s focus on giving their 50-over squad as much match practice as possible before the 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup, which will be staged in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia late next year.
The Ireland series will be part of a busy ODI calendar:
- October 2026: an ODI tri-series at home against England and Sri Lanka
- Early 2027: ODIs at home against Ireland
- In the pipeline: a five-match ODI series against Bangladesh
- Summer 2027: five ODIs against England
Ireland must first get through the World Cup qualifiers in February to secure their place at the tournament.
A packed home season
Pakistan’s international season begins in just over a week, with 12 matches between October 9 and November 21:
- October 9, 11 and 13: three T20Is against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi
- October 18 to 31: the ODI tri-series with England and Sri Lanka, with three matches in Rawalpindi, three in Lahore and the final in Lahore on October 31
- November 9 to 13: first Test against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi
- November 17 to 21: second Test against Sri Lanka in Lahore
The PCB has announced the match officials. New Zealand’s Jeffrey Crowe, a member of the ICC’s Elite Panel of match referees, will oversee all seven tri-series matches. Crowe recently became only the second person to officiate 700 international matches as a referee, and he made his Test debut as referee in Faisalabad in 2004, in a match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Pakistan’s Ahsan Raza, an ICC Elite Panel umpire, will stand in the last two matches of the tri-series, including the final.
England without Buttler
England will arrive without Jos Buttler. The wicketkeeper-batsman injured his hamstring against Sri Lanka at Headingley and has been ruled out of the tour.
“Jos won’t be in Pakistan,” England’s limited-overs coach Brendon McCullum said. “It’s disappointing not to have Jos but it will be good for us to see where we’re at.”
Buttler, 36, this month became the first England batsman to score 10,000 runs in international white-ball cricket. His absence is likely to give Jordan Cox another chance behind the stumps, after he scored 76 from 52 balls on his return to the ODI side.
Asian Games semi-final on Thursday
Before the home season starts, Pakistan’s men have an Asian Games semi-final against Bangladesh in Japan on Thursday, after rain washed out their quarter-final against Hong Kong.
Why it matters
With a World Cup a year away, every ODI counts. By dropping a costly Test and tri-series in favour of focused 50-over cricket, the PCB is betting that match practice, rather than a crowded calendar, will give Pakistan their best chance in southern Africa. Read our reports on Pakistan’s Asian Games semi-final and on Babar Azam’s domestic return.
This article draws on reporting by The Express Tribune and AFP.
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