The West Indies is to start with a five-match T20I today, to be followed by an ODI series. It is perhaps a sign of the times that there are to be no Tests, not even the new two-Test series forced on the world by the World Test Championship. Only the T20 series is being played for itself, the three ODIs being part of the qualification process for the next World Cup.
Though the West Indies team is hardly a world-beater any more, the standard of cricket, particularly in the T20Is, should be good, for both teams have done well in this form of the game. The West Indies did not advance beyond the group stage at the last T20 World Cup, while Pakistan lost in the semis. Both have won both forms of the World Cup, though the West Indies last won in the ODI format in 1979 (of which the most competitive match was the Pakistan-West Indies semifinal) and Pakistan in 1992.
However, whatever the quality of the cricket, the West Indies team coming is a sign that Pakistan is considered safe for touring teams. Pakistan has had the albatross of the 2009 Sri Lankan attack to deal with, which not only obliged it to use Dubai and Sharjah as its home grounds, but shift the initial editions of its T20 championship, the PSL, there. International cricket only made a comeback, with Sri Lanka touring, in 2019, but the terrorist threat reared its head again last season, when New Zealand and England cancelled their tours because of a perceived threat. That threat eased fears that more cancellations might follow, but the example of the West Indies is praiseworthy, especially since they had a non-terrorism excuse after three of their players were diagnosed with covid-19. Hopefully, this will encourage Australia to fulfill its commitment to tour in March.
Not only has the security situation improved, but so has the team. The induction of a new PCB Chairman before the T20 World Cup seems to have worked wonders, with a cohesive unit now taking the field, playing their best game and eschewing the politicking and backstabbing of the past.
