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The remainder of Sri Lanka A’s tour of Pakistan has been indefinitely postponed due to mass protests in Islamabad by supporters of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), a political party led by former Pakistan captain and prime minister Imran Khan. The two remaining one-dayers were scheduled to be held at the Rawalpindi Cricket Ground, the international cricket stadium in Rawalpindi.
The PCB said the postponement was due to “political activity” in Islamabad, Rawalpindi’s twin city and the capital of Pakistan. “The Pakistan Cricket Board, in consultation with Sri Lanka Cricket, has postponed the last two 50-over matches of the Pakistan Shaheens-Sri Lanka A series due to a political activity in the federal capital,” a PCB statement said. “The last two matches were scheduled for Wednesday and Friday at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Both boards will collaborate to finalise new dates to complete the series.”
The PCB had been concerned about the impact the PTI protests would have on the series since the previous week. A few days ago, it announced that the first one-dayer, which was also scheduled to take place at the Rawalpindi Cricket Ground, would be moved to Islamabad Club. The remaining two games, according to the PCB, would have been played as scheduled at the Rawalpindi Cricket Ground on 27 and 29 November. The change in venue for the first game was seen as necessary because it was scheduled for 25 November, the day after Imran Khan has issued what he termed as a “final call” for his supporters to march to the capital to demand, among other things, his release from prison.
The protests, which have brought the capital to a virtual standstill, have resulted in a tense standoff between Imran’s supporters and the federal government. It has also demanded the attention of the PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the country’s Interior Minister.
Pakistan lead the one-day series against Sri Lanka, having won the first 50-over match by 108 runs. They had also won the preceding two-match first-class series 1-0.
