The Pakistan men’s cricket team is all set to commence their Europe tour with the start of a three-match T20I series against Ireland on Friday.
The remaining two matches of the series will also be held at Castle Avenue on Sunday and Tuesday, following which the team will head to Headingley, Leeds, for a series of four T20Is against England starting Wednesday.
After the England series, which includes matches at Headingley (22 May), Birmingham (25 May), Cardiff (28 May), and The Oval, London (30 May), both teams will gear up for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. England will kick off against Scotland in Barbados on 4 June, while Pakistan will face the USA in Dallas on 6 June in their opening match.
This series marks the first-ever T20I series hosted by Ireland against Pakistan. The two teams have crossed paths only once before, during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2009, where Pakistan emerged victorious by 39 runs, with Kamran Akmal earning the player of the match accolade for his 51-ball 57 and two stumpings.
Notably, both teams are grouped together for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 and are scheduled to play against each other in Florida on 16 June. Alongside Pakistan and Ireland, India, the USA, and Canada are also part of this group, with the top two teams progressing to the next stage.
In squad news, fast bowler Mohammad Amir will miss the first T20I due to visa issuance delays but is expected to join the squad on Friday.
Here are the squads for the series:
Ireland: Paul Stirling (captain), Mark Adair, Ross Adair, Andrew Balbirnie, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Graham Hume, Barry McCarthy, Neil Rock, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Craig Young
Pakistan: Babar Azam (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir (unavailable for the first T20I), Mohammad Rizwan, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Usman Khan.
