Pakistan hosts West Indies for ODI series in intense heat
The Hindu
Pakistan will host the West Indies in a three-match ODI series in Multan, starting June 8, at a time when the country is reeling under political uncertainities and heatwave.
Intensive heat will test the fitness of players when Pakistan hosts the West Indies in the three-match limited-overs international series starting Wednesday.
The Pakistan Cricket Board had to relocate the series to Multan from Rawalpindi last week because of the uncertain political situation in the country. The opposition, led by former Prime Minister Imran Khan, is planning rallies in the federal capital Islamabad, which is adjacent to Rawalpindi.
The temperature is expected to top 45 degrees Celsius this week in Multan, and organizers have pushed back the starting time for games to 4:00 p.m. local time to give some respite from the intense heat.
The Pakistan Cricket Board also planned to provide players with ice collars and vests during stoppages in play and extra water breaks to keep them hydrated.
“We’ll try to make the guys understand what they have to do personally to hydrate themselves properly both before, during and after the games,” West Indies head coach Phil Simmons said Tuesday.
“The heat is going to be extreme, (but) Pakistan are playing in the heat, too, so it’s going to be an even contest when we start the day. How we deal with it before, during and after is going to help us a lot.”
West Indies are coming off a 3-0 series win over Netherlands last week at Amstelveen, where their top-order batters scored prolifically. Shamarh Brooks, Shai Hope and Kyle Mayers scored centuries while Brandon King also made 91 not out in the second game.
The restoration and redevelopment of the decades-old Calve College Government school, a landmark that occupies a prominent place in the city’s history is nearing completion. The Puducherry Smart City Development Limited (PSCDL), which has taken up the restoration, has planned to complete the work by the first week of July. The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) is the architectural consultant for PSCDL, while Puducherry Technological University (PTU) is the structural consultant. The work commenced in August 2021 and costs ₹4.75 crore.