LAHORE, Pakistan — Pakistan is set to host a robust schedule of seven Test matches between August this year and February next year, including two Tests against the West Indies.
This tour marks the first visit by the Caribbean side for Test cricket in nearly two decades, as announced by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday.
The West Indies men’s national team will participate in three Test series and join the first One-day International tri-series in 21 years, leading up to the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 on home soil. The series against Pakistan will see matches in Karachi starting January 16 and in Multan beginning January 24. This tour will be only the eighth Test tour to Pakistan by the West Indies since Pakistan attained Test status in 1952.
Cricket West Indies chief executive officer Johnny Grave remarked, “Whilst we have toured Pakistan many times in recent years, it will have been almost two decades since we last played Test cricket there. The 2006 series also had Tests in both Karachi and Multan, and we look forward to returning for a competitive series against another proud Test cricketing nation.”
Historic context and recent performances
The last Test series the West Indies played in Pakistan was in 2006, where Brian Lara’s team suffered a 2-0 defeat in a three-match series against Inzamam-ul-Haq’s squad. Historically, out of the 21 Tests played in Pakistan, the West Indies have won four, lost nine, and drawn eight. Pakistan has also hosted the West Indies in five Tests in the United Arab Emirates in 2002 and 2016, where the Caribbean side lost all but one match.
The upcoming two-Test series will be critical for the West Indies as it represents their final engagement in the current cycle of the ICC World Test Championship. The championship features the top nine Test-playing nations, each playing six series (three home and three away) during the 2023-25 cycle. So far, the West Indies have played four matches in two series at home against India last July and away against Australia this January, winning one, losing two, and drawing one. This performance places them sixth on the points table with 16 points.
India currently leads the table with 74 points after three series, followed by Australia with 90 points from four series, New Zealand with 36 points from three series, Sri Lanka with 24 points from two series, and Pakistan with 22 points from two series. The West Indies aim to improve their standing when they face England in three Tests this month.
