Cricket Ireland confirms historic Pakistan tour in 2025; to play in Test and limited-overs series

Ireland Cricket team will make a historic tour of Pakistan in 2025 as the two teams will meet for the first time in the 1992 ODI WorldChampions’ homeland.The tour was confirmed by both the boardslate Monday evening when PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi met Cricket Ireland chair Brain MacNeice with the two nations set to play a bilateral series.The reported tour will take place in August-September2025with novenues yet fixed.

PCB confirms historic tour

"Chairman Cricket Ireland said that the Irish team would visit Pakistan next year in August-September for a Test series and would also review the possibility of awomen'steam tour to Pakistan soon,"the PCB statement said.

Thiswill be the first time Ireland will tour Pakistan for a bilateral serieswiththeir majority meetings coming in ICC tournaments on neutral venues.The tour was not part of the Future Tour Plan (FTP) but willnowget underway in August 2025 afterthe conclusion ofthe 2025 World Test Championship (WTC).Theconfirmation of the tourcame just hours after PCBreleased a statement aboutIreland’svisit to Pakistan. Cricket Ireland put up a statement on its website and added it will be their second senior tour to Pakistan after theirwomen'steam had done so in 2022.

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In"wide-ranging discussions",it merely confirmed that the two boards"were able to agree to amen'stour next year - this will be yet another historic first, coming after the tour to Pakistan by our senior women in 2022."

The two nations havedeveloped a mini rivalry in recent times, one which had its early spark in the 2007 ODI World Cup.Ireland beat Pakistan in the ODI World Cup group stage matchwhicheliminated the Men in Green. Sincethen, the two nations have often had heated battles on the cricket fieldincludinganother defeat for BabarAzam’smen during the ongoing tour.

As things stand, the ongoing three-match T20I seriestaking placein Ireland has seen the spoils shared1-1 with one match to go.Both teams willbe participatingin the upcoming T20 World Cup in the USA and the West Indies.