The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Friday that the Green Shirts would tour Bangladesh in March for a three-match One Day International (ODI) series.

In a press release, the PCB said, “Pakistan men’s cricket team will tour Bangladesh for a three-match ODI series, the Bangladesh Cricket Board confirmed on Friday.”

It said that the team would arrive in Bangladesh on March 9 and hold a training session the next day, ahead of the opening ODI against the hosts on March 11.

The board added that the second ODI would be played on March 13, while the third and final match was scheduled for March 15.

It added that all three matches would be played at the Shere Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka.

“This will be Pakistan’s second tour of Bangladesh since July 2025. Pakistan last toured Bangladesh for a three-match T20I series in July, which the hosts won 2-1. Meanwhile, Bangladesh toured Pakistan for a three-match T20I series in May/June last year, which the Salman Ali Agha-led side won 3-0,” the PCB said.

The development comes after Pakistan announced it would boycott the match against India during the ongoing T20 World Cup. The decision came after Bangladesh’s request to shift its matches out of India was rejected amid tensions between the two countries, which led to the team being replaced by Scotland in the tournament.

The situation ultimately led to a delegation from the International Cricket Council visiting Pakistan, after which it was announced that Pakistan would play the match against India.

However, the ICC also announced that Bangladesh would not face any penalty for opting out of the tournament and would also host an ICC event prior to the Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2031.

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The newly appointed interim president of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani, announced the lifting of the ban on the national team captain, Ammad Shakeel Butt, state-run APP reported on Friday.

On Thursday, former president Tariq Hussain Bugti imposed a two-year ban on national captain Butt, citing findings of a committee regarding alleged misconduct. He also announced his resignation amid controversy over the national team’s tour of Australia for the FIH Pro League.

In a statement issued today, the interim president lifted the ban, stressing that “transparency and fairness would guide all decisions under his tenure,” APP quoted him as saying.

Wani, who was the Secretary of Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC), also vowed to “revive and strengthen the country’s national game”.

He gave assurances to the stakeholders that a comprehensive plan would be developed, “aimed at stabilising the federation, rebuilding trust and revamping team management to restore Pakistan’s lost glory in international hockey”.

“As the newly appointed ad-hoc president of PHF, I assure stakeholders of our commitment to revive and strengthen hockey in Pakistan,” APP quoted him as saying.

He added that “immediate steps” were underway to resolve “organisational and administrative issues”.

Wani elaborated that the “short-term” focus of the federation would be to stabilise its affairs, and the medium-term plan involved “developing a clear strategic vision, enhancing coaching and training structures and fostering institutional coordination among relevant bodies”.

The interim president also shared plans that the federation aims to partner with the private sector to ensure improved support to the players.

“Our players should focus on training and matches, while we handle the rest,” he was quoted as saying.

He assured that “welfare and performance would remain at the centre of reforms”.

Additionally, he announced elections for a new PHF leadership and expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for “reposing trust in him” as the interim head, as per APP.

On Thursday, PM Shehbaz appointed Wani as ad-hoc president of the federation, following the resignation of his predecessor.

The developments came amid controversy over the national team’s tour of Australia, where accommodation arrangements could not be secured on time, forcing players to spend several hours on the road.

The team’s overall performance in the Pro League also came under criticism.

However, shortly after Bugti’s resignation, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi met the hockey players, including Ammad Butt and Hanan Shahid.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, when asked about the reported two-year ban, Butt said Naqvi told him there was no ban and that the same team that toured Australia would travel to Egypt.

The ban had reportedly been imposed under the PHF constitution, raising questions over the process for its reversal.

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Pakistan and New Zealand will clash in Colombo on Saturday as the second “Super Eights” phase of the T20 World Cup kicks off without former champions Australia, who shockingly failed to make it out of their group.

Instead, surprise packages Zimbabwe, who did not even qualify in 2024, topped Group B after a stunning unbeaten campaign where they not only beat Australia but also co-hosts Sri Lanka.

An injury-depleted Australia endured a chaotic campaign and failed to make the second phase of the T20 World Cup for the first time since 2009.

Australia’s acerbic media did not hold back in their criticism, citing selection “stuff-ups” and “shambolic” preparations, including a 3-0 pre-tournament series loss in Pakistan, for the embarrassment.

Australia coach Andrew McDonald admitted his players were “devastated” but any inquest into the failure would only begin “when we exit the shores here”.

India, the world number one-ranked T20 side, are hot favourite to retain their crown on home soil.

However, in the second round, they face a tough rematch of the 2024 final against an in-form South Africa in Ahmedabad at a packed 130,000-capacity Narendra Modi stadium on Sunday.

Both teams came through the first round phase with four wins from four.

India is on a 12-match unbeaten run at the T20 World Cup, stretching back to their defeat in the semi-final against eventual winners England in 2022.

No team has won back-to-back T20 World Cups or lifted the trophy on home soil, and India has the hopes of hundreds of millions of cricket-obsessed fans on their shoulders.

But India has not been consistent and has a problem at the top of the order with their number one-ranked batter, Abhishek Sharma, recording three consecutive ducks.

Their batting has looked shaky and India were 77-6 against the United States before coming through to win.

Also in Super Eights Group 1 are Zimbabwe and the West Indies, who meet in Mumbai on Monday, with all that group’s games being hosted in India.

England yet to fire

The West Indies toppled England convincingly in the group phase and the two-time champions have all-around strength in depth.
They won the T20 World Cup the last time it was hosted in India, in 2016, and have started in clinical fashion, winning all four group games.

They will be extremely wary of Zimbabwe, whose colourful band of travelling supporters have had plenty to cheer so far. Even a washout against Ireland could not dampen their spirits.

In Sri Lanka, Group 2 pits the co-hosts against England, Pakistan and New Zealand.

The top two from each group will advance to the semi-finals.
Pakistan was the last team to secure their berth. They did so by beating Namibia by 102 runs, with captain Salman Agha calling it a “complete performance” as they bounced back from a group defeat to bitter rivals India.

Another pre-tournament fancy, England stumbled through their group matches in Mumbai and Kolkata, losing to the only Test-playing side they faced, the West Indies.

Harry Brook’s side were unconvincing in wins against minnows Nepal, Scotland and finally Italy, who were making their World Cup debut.

But they return to a happy hunting ground in Kandy to face Sri Lanka on Sunday at a venue where England swept a T20 series 3-0 this month, with Sam Curran taking a hat-trick along the way.

Their top order needs to find form, with explosive openers Jos Buttler and Phil Salt yet to make a telling score and Brook failing to fire.
Sri Lanka have also been hot and cold.

Pathum Nissanka scored a superb century on Monday to all but end Australia’s tournament.

But they lost to Zimbabwe in their final group game, although Nissanka was in the runs again with 62.

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