LAHORE, Pakistan (CMC) — Pakistan will host seven Tests between August this year and February next year, including two against West Indies, in a packed, international, red-ball home season.

It will be the first time in close to two decades that the Caribbean side will be playing Tests there, after Pakistan Cricket Board announced on Friday that its men’s national team will play in three Test series and participate in the first One-Day International tri-series in 21 years, in the lead-up to the eight-team ICC Champions Trophy 2025 on home turf.

West Indies are scheduled to play the Pakistanis in two Tests — January 16 in Karachi and January 24 in Multan — in only the eighth Test tour to the country since their opponents gained Test status in 1952.

“Whilst we have toured Pakistan many times in recent years it will have been almost two decades since we last played Test cricket there,” Cricket West Indies Chief Executive Officer Johnny Grave said.

“The 2006 series also had Tests in both Karachi and Multan, and we look forward to returning for a competitive series against another proud Test cricketing nation.”

On the previous occasion when the Caribbean side played Tests in Pakistan in 2006, Brian Lara’s side endured a 2-0 defeat in a three-match rubber against Inzamam-ul-Haq’s side.

Of the 21 Tests that they have played in Pakistan, West Indies have won only four, lost nine, and the other eight have ended in draws.

The Pakistanis have also played five Tests against West Indies in 2002 and 2016 in the United Arab Emirates, when they were the host team — with the Caribbean side losing all but one of them.

The two-Test series will also be the final for West Indies in the current cycle of the ICC World Test Championship.

Each of the top nine Test-playing nations are scheduled to play six series (three home and three away) in the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle.

To date, West Indies have played four matches in two series at home against India in July last year and away against Australia in January this year, winning one, losing two, and drawing one.

This has put them in sixth position on the points table with 16 points, to which they will be looking to add when they face hosts England in three Tests this month.

India lead the table with 74 points after three series, followed by Australia (90 points from four series), New Zealand (36 points from three series), Sri Lanka (24 points from two series), and Pakistan (22 points from two series).