Pakistan will host Sri Lanka for three one-day internationals at Rawalpindi in mid-November, slotting the series into the nine-day gap between South Africa’s visit and a T20I tri-series involving Afghanistan.
The schedule is tight. Pakistan finish their home ODIs against South Africa on 8 November in Faisalabad. Two days later they face Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi, with matches on 11, 13 and 15 November – each followed by just a single rest day. The squad then stays put as the tri-series opens on 17 November, also in Rawalpindi, before moving to Lahore.
It will be Sri Lanka’s first bilateral ODI tour of Pakistan since 2019, when Sarfaraz Ahmed’s side won 2-0 after rain washed out the Karachi opener. Sri Lanka last travelled in 2023 for Asia Cup matches in Lahore; most of that competition was staged in Sri Lanka.
The new series extends what was already a crowded home programme. Pakistan begin with two World Test Championship fixtures against South Africa from 12-24 October in Lahore and Rawalpindi, followed by three T20Is and three ODIs against the same opponents. The T20I tri-series then runs 17-29 November.
A PCB scheduling note describes the window as “compact but manageable”. With only brief pauses between formats, rotation looks inevitable. “We have planned for workload management from day one,” a member of the support staff told local media.
Sri Lanka, meanwhile, view the Rawalpindi matches as World Cup preparation. A senior selector said last week the squad would be “close to full strength”, though final fitness checks remain.
Pakistan warmed up for their packed autumn by lifting the recent UAE tri-series against Afghanistan and the hosts. Attention now turns to the T20 Asia Cup, starting 9 September, where Pakistan meet Oman on 12 September before the familiar high-profile meeting with India two days later.
Even for a nation used to relentless scheduling, November’s ODI-T20I double-header will test depth and resolve.
