England to play Pakistan T20s in Dubai
CRICKET: LONDON, Jan 9, 2010 - England will play two Twenty20 matches
against Pakistan in Dubai next month ahead of their tour of Bangladesh,
the England and Wales Cricket Board announced Friday.
The matches will take place on February 19 and 20. The senior England
squad will leave Dubai on February 21 for Dhaka, where they will play
two one-day tour matches before the start of the three-match ODI series
against Bangladesh.
England's second-string Lions side will also tour the United Arab
Emirates (UAE) next month with their programme featuring T20 matches
against England, the UAE and Pakistan 'A' followed by a further three
50-over matches against Pakistan 'A.'
ECB Managing Director, England Cricket, Hugh Morris said: "We are
delighted to have agreed in partnership with Pakistan Cricket Board and
Dubai Sports City such a comprehensive programme of cricket in the UAE
for both England and England Lions.
"The two T20 Internationals against the current world champions in
this format of the game will be an exciting challenge for the England
team and provide important additional T20 international experience
before the next ICC WT20 tournament in the Caribbean in April.
"The combination of three T20 matches and three 50-over matches for
the England Lions team to be played at Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi will
also provide those players with an excellent opportunity to push their
case for selection for the England One-Day side as we continue to build
not only for the World T20 in West Indies later this year but also for
the ICC World Cup in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh."
AFP
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