KARACHI: Pakistan’s cricket board on Friday announced a revised schedule for a series it will hold against England next month, ending weeks of uncertainty including reports it could be moved abroad.

The first two Tests will be held back-to-back in Multan and the last in Rawalpindi, skipping Karachi where ongoing construction at the National Stadium has forced the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to tweak the schedule.

“The series will start in Multan with the first Test from October 7-11 and the second Test — originally scheduled for Karachi — has been shifted to Multan, as the stadium in Karachi is undergoing (a) major facelift for next year’s Champions Trophy,” said a statement from the PCB.

The second Test will start from October 15, while the third in Rawalpindi will be staged from October 24.

The England men’s cricket team will arrive in Multan on October 2 for their second tour of Pakistan in two years.

The announcement ended weeks of frustrating wait by the England and Wales Cricket Board who were seeking clarity on the schedule.

Moreover, there were media reports of shifting the series to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where Pakistan was forced to play its home matches from 2010 to 2019.

Revised schedule:

7-11 Oct – First Test, Multan

15-19 Oct – Second Test, Multan 2

4-28 Oct – Third Test, Rawalpindi

ISLAMABAD: A delegation of the International Cricket Council (ICC) met Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi and discussed arrangements made for the ICC Champions Trophy to be held in the country next year. 

The ICC envoy expressed satisfaction in Karachi and Rawalpindi for the preparations ahead of the tournament. 

The delegation was also satisfied with the security arrangements and protocols in Karachi, Rawalpindi and Islamabad. 

A detailed discussion on security arrangements for the tournament also took place in the meeting, said a press release.

The ICC delegation included ICC Senior Manager Events Sarah Edgar, Event Manager and Champions Trophy Event Lead Aun Muhammad Zaidi, General Manager Cricket ICC Wasim Khan, Security Manager David Musker and Broadcast consultant Mansoor Manj.

From the PCB, Director International Cricket Usman Wahla, Director Security Colonel (retired) Khalid Mehmood, and Head of Marketing Salman Mesud attended the meeting.

PCB Chairman Naqvi assured the ICC delegation of world-class arrangements for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

He further said that the upgradation work of the stadiums will be completed well before the tournament, and foolproof security arrangements will be made for all participating teams.

“Hosting the ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan is an honour, and preparations are being finalised to match the grandeur of the tournament,” the cricketing body chairman stated.

Naqvi assured the ICC that all teams participating will enjoy playing in a peaceful and secure environment.

“After the upgradation, the stadiums will be equipped with international-standard facilities, enhancing the spectators’ experience,” Naqvi added regarding the work at the stadiums that will host the mega event next year.

“The Pakistani nation has a deep love for cricket and will support all teams during the mega event in February and March next year,” Naqvi concluded. 

South Africa women on Friday triumphed over Pakistan in the third T20I to secure a 2-1 victory against the Green Shirts in the three-match series.

The visitors, during the match at Multan Cricket Stadium, bagged a convincing win over the national side by chasing down the 154-run target in 18.3 overs while only losing two wickets.

Opener Laura Wolvaardt (45) and Annerie Dercksen (44*) starred for the Proteas with Anneke Bosch also pitching in 46 runs before getting retired hurt.

Suné Luus scored 14* runs whereas opener Tazmin Brits failed to score after being stumped on the very first ball she faced.

For Pakistan Sadia Iqbal and Tuba Hassan bagged one wicket each.

Earlier in the day, winning the toss, South Africa chose to bowl first and restricted the national side to 153 for five.

Batting first, Sidra Ameen emerged as the highest run-scorer for the Green Shirts with her 37-run knock. Meanwhile, Muneeba Ali and skipper Fatima Sana scored 33 and 27 runs, respectively.

Chloe Tryon, Tumi Sekhukhune, Nonkululeko Mlaba and Luus and dismissed one batter each for the visitors.

South Africa’s Luus was awarded the Player of the series while Dercksen was named Player of the match for their key contribution in the series and the last match, respectively.

Talks between Clemson, Florida State and the ACC have ramped up in recent weeks, according to sources, on a proposal that would allot a greater share of revenue to schools based on brand valuation and television ratings, as well as potentially alter the expiration of the league’s grant of rights — which currently runs through 2036 — in exchange for the Tigers and Seminoles dropping their lawsuits against the conference.

According to multiple sources within the league, the conversations are preliminary and the sides are not close to an agreement, but the conversations represent a strong signal that Florida State and Clemson are open to remaining in the conference under more favorable financial terms.

The proposal, which was formulated by Clemson and Florida State and discussed by the league’s presidents during Tuesday’s regularly scheduled meeting, includes additional money going to schools with better ratings success in football and basketball.

While the proposal has not been widely distributed or discussed among conference athletic directors, administrators from more than a half-dozen schools who spoke with ESPN said they would at least be open to some altered revenue split.

In 2022-23, the ACC distributed an average of $44.8 million per school, roughly $7 million less than the SEC; however, that difference is expected to grow to more than $30 million when accounting for the SEC’s new television contract, which began this year.

Florida State athletic director Michael Alford has called the forthcoming revenue gap an existential threat, and he pushed for the ACC to divide revenue unequally during the league’s 2023 spring meetings, asking for more money to go to schools that had success on the field as well as those that drew the highest ratings for television. The league ultimately agreed to institute a new revenue-sharing policy dubbed “success initiatives” that would reward programs that made bowl games, the College Football Playoff or the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournament with a higher share of postseason revenue, but at the time, ADs were not interested in any plan that included brand valuation or television ratings, too.

In the months that followed, however, Florida State and Clemson filed lawsuits against the ACC in an effort to extricate themselves from the league’s grant of rights, which binds each member’s media rights to the ACC through June 2036. The ACC countersued both parties in North Carolina. To date, little movement has occurred on the legal front, and should the cases go to trial, a final resolution to the lawsuits could still be years away, according to attorneys for all sides. As part of a judge’s ruling in Leon County, Florida, the sides were required to enter into mediation, which is when discussions about ratings-based revenue splits took on new life.

Within the proposal put forth by Clemson and Florida State, the term of the grant of rights would also be reduced — potentially as early as 2030 — to better fall in line with the expiration of TV deals in the Big 12 and Big Ten.

While the basic talking points of the proposal had some support within member schools, there were significant questions about the details. As one athletic director who supported the general idea noted, properly evaluating something like TV ratings can be difficult with numerous outside factors influencing kickoff times, networks and ratings share that may not directly reflect a program’s value.

Several administrators who did not support the proposal did admit there was a potential incentive to continue discussions if it helped insure the future of the conference for the foreseeable future, with one noting that it would be better than seeing the ACC fall apart completely and another suggesting a brand-based revenue split could be inevitable for every league as TV contracts continue to grow and leagues continue to expand.

The ACC is also in talks with ESPN, which holds an exclusive option to extend the league’s television contract from 2027 through 2036. ESPN must pick up or decline the option by February 2025.

The ACC declined to comment on the status of discussions on changes to the revenue distribution model, but in May, commissioner Jim Phillips said he was open to all options that would secure the league’s standing.

“You have to stay optimistic,” Phillips said, “and you work through these things. We’ll manage what we have to manage, and I’m always optimistic about a really good ending out of this situation. I won’t have a change until somebody else tells me different. But am I going to fight for the ACC? Absolutely. That’s my responsibility.”