KARACHI: Pakistan will host England for a full series of Tests and limited-overs matches in the United Arab Emirates from next October, the country’s cricket board confirmed on Wednesday.

“We will be playing three Tests, five One-day Internationals and a T20 match against England in October and November and it is a home series for us,” a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official said.

England refused an invite to tour the country in early 2012, instead playing a series in the UAE, where the tourists lost all three Tests but won the one-day and T20 series.

The PCB official said that Pakistan were also hoping to host India in the UAE immediately after the England series for two tests, five one-day internationals and two T20 matches.

“While the series with England is confirmed, the series with India is subject to government clearance but is now officially part of the future tours program,” the PCB official said. “We see both these series as a ideal opportunity to improve our financial position.”

Pakistan and India have not played a bilateral Test series since 2007 because of the frosty relations between the two countries following the Mumbai terror attacks of a year later.

“We have an agreement with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) under which we will host them for back-to-back tours before they host us for consecutive tours from 2016,” the official added.

Published in Dawn, October 9th, 2014