Pakistan have finally reached agreement to play their on-off home series against West Indies on neutral turf at Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, according to a report on the BBC website. The series had been due to be played in Pakistan, but West Indies officials feared for their players' safety because of the recent tension between India and Pakistan and the unstable situation in neighbouring Afghanistan. Bangladesh - where Pakistan begin a two-Test series tomorrow - was mooted as a possible alternative, but Sharjah offered more in terms of revenue, according to the Pakistan board (PCB) chairman Tauqir Zia.

"We have finally decided to shift the series to Sharjah after the West Indies Board's request to play on neutral grounds," Zia told the BBC. "The PCB and Sharjah organisers will share the revenue."

Sharjah is the most-used one-day international venue in the world, with 181 matches since 1984. Pakistan, who have featured in 96 of those games, will be able to count on vocal support from expatriates who are drawn to the Gulf by the job opportunities. The pitch tends to be slow and traditionally gets slower still over the course of a one-day game, so it will be interesting to see how it goes over five days.

The series will now consist of two Tests, instead of the scheduled three, though the three one-day matches remain intact. But there will be no time for any warm-up games, as West Indies only arrive in Sharjah on January 25. The revised programme will be confirmed shortly.

Provisional Fixtures
January 31-February 4: First Test
February 7-11: Second Test
February 13: 1st One-day International
February 15: 2nd One-day International
February 17: 3rd One-day International

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