By BV Swagath
The ICC has approved a proposed bilateral Twenty20 Series between Pakistan and Australia. The two teams are likely to play as many as 6 Twenty20 Internationals in the Series which is likely to be played in the period between August 22 and September 10.
The usual ruling from the ICC when it comes to bilateral T20I Series, the maximum number of matches that can be played is three. However, under special circumstances as in the case of Pakistan, more than 3 T20Is can be requested.
Originally Pakistan and Australia were expected to play three T20Is and three ODIs against each other. But the PCB which was to host the tour failed to find a venue nation. That has left the PCB to look towards UAE to host the series. The Australian players had raised objection to the original schedule of 3 ODIs and 3 T20Is because of the extreme heat conditions in the UAE and thus got the tour to comprise of 6 T20Is instead.
The upcoming six-match T20I Series will be a good warm-up for both Pakistan and Australia considering that the 2012 World Twenty 20 Championship in Sri Lanka is going to be played in September.
