Pakistan vs Sri Lanka: Bilateral series schedule and background

The Sri Lankan team is visiting Pakistan for a bilateral series which will include three ODIs and three T20Is. The first match of the series will be played at Karachi on Friday. This is the first time cricket is being played at the Karachi Stadium in almost 10 years. Cricket at Pakistan grounds has been a rare affair in the last decade because of an attack on the Sri Lankan team when they visited Pakistan in 2009.

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Schedule

• 1st One Day International will be played on September 27 at 3:30 PM IST.
• 2nd One Day International will be played on September 29 at 3:30 PM IST.
• 3rd One Day International will be played on October 3 at 3:30 PM IST.

All three ODI matches will be played at National Stadium, Karachi which will be hosting its first match since 2009. 

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• 1st T20 International will be played on October 5 at 7:00 PM IST.
• 2nd T20 International will be played on October 7 at 7:00 PM IST.
• 3rd T20 International will be played on October 9 at 7:00 PM IST.

All three T20I matches will be played at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. 

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A new era for Pakistan cricket

The Pakistan team has had a rough time in the last decade. After the attacks on the Sri Lankan team in 2009, countries stopped touring Pakistan over security reasons. Pakistan had to adopt the UAE as their 'home' and host multiple series there. They have not hosted an international series in Pakistan since 2015. The tour which starts on Friday has been a talking point as 10 Sri Lanka players withdrew from the tour over, citing security reasons. The two cricket boards have tried to support each other as Pakistan was the first one to send their team for a tour of Sri Lanka after the Easter Sunday attacks that happened in April earlier this year.

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