Pakistan's cricket tour to Zimbabwe on hold

Lahore, July 25 - Pakistan and Zimbabwe have decided to put on hold their One-Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 International series' to be held from August 17 to September 17 in the African nation.

A likely explanation for the decision can be that Pakistan does not want to jeopardise their spot for the 2017 Champions Trophy.

"The decision is taken unanimously and in a cordial manner. Both boards now will look for another window other than August-September this year," a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official was quoted as saying by a website on Saturday.

Pakistan had initially wanted to feature in a limited-overs series in Zimbabwe to reciprocate the vice-versa tour in May which helped bring international cricket back to Pakistan after six years.

Pakistan moved from ninth place to eighth in the rankings after winning the ODI series against Sri Lanka. Had they lost against Zimbabwe by a margin of 1-2, it could have affected their chances for qualifying for the Champions Trophy.

(IANS)