Pakistan hope to host WI in Lanka

Pakistan hope to host West Indies in Sri Lanka instead of the United Arab Emirates this October, eyeing the island as a neutral venue for the first time since 2002.

Pakistan are scheduled to host the Windies in two Tests and six limited-overs internationals later this year, but the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is reluctant to continue using the UAE as their home away from home due to the cost.

"PCB is not generating enough revenue from its home series therefore we are looking at the option of hosting West Indies in Sri Lanka. The board is doing its homework in this regard,” PCB Executive Committee Chairman Najam Sethi told the BBC.

"We need to see whether the grounds will be available in the Island and also if the weather will suit us."

Australia are the only team set to tour Sri Lanka this year, between July and September. After that Sri Lanka are due to travel to Zimbabwe, leaving their grounds free of commitments.

If the series is held in Sri Lanka, it remains to be seen whether it will include the day-night Test the PCB has proposed to the West Indies Cricket Board.

The idea behind playing a Test under lights was to attract bigger crowds in the UAE, where Pakistan's five-day cricket is generally played out in front of empty stands.

West Indies' most recent tour to Sri Lanka saw them lose the Test series 2-0 and the ODIs 3-0 to the hosts, but they squared the T20 series 1-1.

Pakistan previously used Sri Lanka as a neutral venue when they hosted Australia for one Test in Colombo in 2002.