Ireland-Pakistan T20s postponed again

The series was due to be played in England but the ECB have confirmed that no venues are available amid the busy schedule

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Ireland and Pakistan's two-match T20 international series has been postponed for a second time.

Cricket Ireland had hoped to stage the matches in England due to the square at Clontarf having been recently relaid.

Despite agreements being reached with two grounds, the ECB have said logistics regarding scheduling and Covid regulations made hosting the game impossible.

New Zealand, India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan - whose players will be travelling from the PSL - are all due on English shores this summer, matches that sit alongside a hectic domestic calendar.

Furthermore, Ireland's away Test against Sri Lanka, again postponed from last year though before the pandemic hit, has been delayed again.

"We had agreements drawn up with two grounds but the ECB came back to us and said that they had so many international teams coming into the country already and that the logistics around bubbles and Covid protocols are such a significant operation that having another two countries in at that time was just too much," Cricket Ireland performance director Richard Holdsworth told ESPNcricinfo.

As things stand, Ireland are next due in action in a three-match 50-over series against the Netherlands in June.

They are then scheduled to host South Africa and Zimbabwe in three ODIs and a trio of T20s in July and August.

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