Multan to host first T20 international series from Monday

Multan: The Pakistan women’s cricket team, led by Fatima Sana, is poised to face Laura Wolvaardt’s South Africa in a three-match Bank Alfalah T20I series starting at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Monday.

The second and third T20Is will also be held at the same venue on 18 and 20 September, respectively. The first two T20Is will begin at 19:00 PST, while the third T20I is scheduled to start at 10:00 AM.

This series marks the debut of the Multan Cricket Stadium as a host for a T20I series, although it has previously accommodated 11 ODIs and six Test matches.

The series serves as a crucial preparation for both teams ahead of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup next month in the UAE. South Africa, who were runners-up in the last ICC Women’s T20 World Cup held in South Africa, are visiting Pakistan for the second time in as many years. During their previous tour, South Africa played a white-ball series featuring three T20Is and three ODIs as part of the ICC Women’s Championship 2022-25. Pakistan completed a clean sweep in the three-match T20I series held in Karachi from 1 to 4 September.

To encourage attendance, entry to the stadium will be free, though spectators must present their original ID cards to gain access. Fans in Pakistan can watch the matches in high definition on A Sports, and live streaming will be available on the PCB’s official YouTube channel.

Following the series, South Africa will travel to the UAE on 21 September, while Pakistan will depart on 23 September. In the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, Pakistan is in Group A alongside Australia, India, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka, whereas South Africa is grouped with Bangladesh, England, Scotland, and the West Indies.

Pakistan’s fixtures in the World Cup include warm-up matches against Scotland and Bangladesh on 28 and 30 September, respectively. Their group stage matches are against Sri Lanka on 3 October in Sharjah, India on 6 October in Dubai, Australia on 11 October in Dubai, and New Zealand on 14 October in Dubai.