Lahore, Nov 13 (IANS) Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the revised schedule of the tri-nation series involving hosts Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, with the opening match taking place on November 18. All seven T20I matches, including the final, will now take place at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi.

The opening game of the tri-series, which was initially scheduled to begin on November 17, will be played between Pakistan and Zimbabwe on November 18. Each team will feature in four matches, with the top two sides qualifying for the final scheduled on November 29.

The T20I Tri-Nation Tournament, featuring Pakistan (hosts), Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, will serve as an important preparatory platform ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.

The slight change in schedule came after the two games of the ongoing ODI series against Sri Lanka were pushed by a day each after several team members had asked to return to Sri Lanka, following the suicide bombing in Islamabad.

PCB said, “The decision to revise the schedule was made in consultation with Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC), following mutual discussions to accommodate operational and match requirements.”

Originally, Afghanistan was the third team in the tri-series after hosts Pakistan and Sri Lanka. But Afghanistan pulled out of the series after three local cricketers were killed in airstrikes carried out by Pakistan in Paktika province, with Zimbabwe replacing them in the tri-series.

Series schedule (all matches at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium):

18 November – Pakistan v Zimbabwe

20 November – Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe

22 November – Pakistan v Sri Lanka

23 November – Pakistan v Zimbabwe

25 November – Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe

27 November – Pakistan v Sri Lanka

29 November –Final

–IANS

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