The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has officially confirmed that Pakistan will host Bangladesh for a five-match T20 international series in May and June 2025, as both nations gear up preparations for the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. The series marks a strategic shift from the original schedule and will now be entirely focused on the shortest format of the game.
Initially, the tour was set to include three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and three T20Is, but in light of the upcoming T20 World Cup to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka in early 2026, both cricket boards have mutually agreed to replace the ODIs with two additional T20Is. The move reflects a growing emphasis on specialized T20 preparation and fine-tuning team combinations ahead of the global tournament.
“The series, which is part of the Future Tour Programme (FTP), originally consisted of three ODIs and three T20Is. However, with the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup scheduled for next year, both the boards have mutually agreed to replace the ODIs with two additional T20Is,” the PCB said in its official statement released on Wednesday.
The five T20Is will be played across two historic Pakistani venues. The first two fixtures are scheduled for May 25 and May 27 at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad, followed by the remaining three games on May 30, June 1, and June 3 at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
A significant highlight of this announcement is the return of international cricket to Faisalabad’s Iqbal Stadium after a 17-year absence. Once a regular venue for Pakistan’s home matches, the stadium last hosted an international fixture in April 2008, an ODI between Pakistan and Bangladesh. The upcoming T20Is will mark the ground’s re-entry into the international cricket circuit.
Iqbal Stadium has hosted 24 Tests and 16 ODIs from 1978 to 2008, and its return is being seen as a key milestone in PCB’s broader effort to revive cricket across all regions of the country.
The tour presents both Pakistan and Bangladesh with an ideal platform to test their squads, assess fringe players, and fine-tune strategies ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup, which will be held in February and March next year.
This series is expected to attract significant viewership and engagement, given both teams’ rising ambitions in the T20 format and their focus on youth development and aggressive cricket.
