Cricket-West Indies women's team to tour Pakistan for T20 matches

West Indies will send their women's team to play three Twenty20 Internationals in Karachi in their bid to help revive international cricket in Pakistan, Cricket West Indies (CWI) said on Thursday. Pakistan hosted the West Indies men's team last April in a country that has been largely shunned by international sides due to security concerns after an attack on the Sri Lankan team by gunmen in 2009.

However, the visitors will be without skipper Stafanie Taylor who opted out of the series in Pakistan beginning on Jan. 31. Merissa Aguilleira will lead the side while Shakera Selman has been named vice-captain.

"This tour is a further major step for our friends at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to bring their cricket back home," CWI Chief Executive Officer Johnny Grave said. PCB's Chief Operating Officer Subhan Ahmad said the decision endorsed their position that Pakistan was as safe as any other country.

"On behalf of the PCB, I would like to say that we are confident that this tour will go a long way in the complete revival of international cricket in Pakistan," he said. The West Indies women's team will arrive in Dubai on Jan. 26 for a training camp before travelling to Karachi four days later.

The teams will return to Dubai for three ICC Women's Championship one-day international matches when skipper Taylor will join the West Indies squad. (Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru Editing by Amlan Chakraborty)