Pakistan refuse Bangladesh's invitation for T20I tri-series in December

Published - 12 Nov 2025, 17:57 IST | Updated - 12 Nov 2025, 18:31 IST

Player workload has been cited as the main reason behind the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) declining the Bangladesh Cricket Board's invitation for a T20 tri-series which was being planned to be played in December. The proposed T20I tri-series was set to feature Sri Lanka in addition to Bangladesh and Pakistan.

It has been understood that, that key national players of the likes of Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi would have been unavailable for the tri-series. This is due to their other commitment of playing the Big Bash League.

Earlier in the past few days, there were speculations which were floating around that former West Indies fast bowler Reon King, a part of the ICC International Panel of Match Referees, will also serve in the capacity of match referee for the T20I series, according to Pakistan Observer.

Pakistan, who are currently involved in an ODI series against Sri Lanka at home, will soon host the Lankans and Zimbabwe in a 20-over tri-series, scheduled to get underway on November 17. Barring the first couple of matches which are slated to be played in Rawalpindi, the rest of the tournament, including the finals, will be played in Lahore.

They are coming off an all-format series against the Proteas. The Test series ended with a 1-1 margin, whereas, both the white-ball series were clinched by the Men in Green, winning the ODIs and T20Is via 2-1 each. Shaheen secured a big win in the ODI series for Pakistan, his first assignment after being appointed as full-time captain.

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