Sky Sports is close to agreeing a late deal to show England’s one-day international tri-series in Pakistan, after fears grew that the matches would not appear on UK television.
Broadcasters had shown little interest in the rights to the series, which also features Sri Lanka. Sky has now stepped in. The deal covers only the tri-series for now, but a further agreement for the three T20s and two Tests between Pakistan and Sri Lanka remains possible. Those matches bookend the tri-series.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) sold the TV rights to Trans Group which then sold them on to the UK market. Sky has agreed terms with Trans Group, but the two sides have not signed the deal yet.
In the tri-series, each team plays the others twice before a final. The T20s start on Friday, and the tri-series begins on October 18. England join on October 20, after a rare break. The squad is named, and Glamorgan’s Mason Crane has earned a call-up. The BBC’s Test Match Special will cover the series on radio.
Sky’s relationship with the PCB has come under strain recently. As host broadcaster for England’s Test series against Pakistan, Sky aired an interview with the sons of the former prime minister and 1992 World Cup winning captain Imran Khan.
The board was unhappy, and a brief diplomatic crisis followed.
Sky showed England’s tours of Pakistan in 2022 and 2024. In recent years, though, it has mostly avoided overseas tours, because it believes host boards price them too high. TNT Sports has filled the gap with a mix of long and short-term deals, including last winter’s Ashes in Australia.
Sky has secured the rights to this winter’s cricket in South Africa. That package includes the Test series against Australia, which starts on Friday, and the Proteas’ fixtures against England over Christmas.
