Sky Sports has secured the rights to show England’s forthcoming cricket tour against Pakistan.
The England side will travel to the UAE, where Pakistan currently play their international cricket, in October.
Having lost the rights to screen the next Ashes tour in Australia to BT Sport, Sky lost no time in confirming the Pakistan rights agreement with Taj TV Ltd (Ten Sports), already long-term partners through deals with Sri Lanka Cricket and West Indies Cricket.
England will then tour South Africa, also in the Sky Sports schedule, before the ICC T20 World Cup in India next March.
Sky Sports Managing Director Barney Francis said: “From the New Zealand series through to the Ashes we saw the development of a number of young players stepping up, and over the next five years with more than 50 England Tests, Sky Sports will be the place to watch them develop, beginning with this winter series against Pakistan and then South Africa.”
The deal ensures that over the next five years Sky Sports will show more than 50 England Tests, and over 350 scheduled days of live England cricket, as well as every ICC competition until 2023.
England will play three Tests with Pakistan in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah, as well as five ODIs and three T20 internationals. The first Test takes place in Abu Dhabi on 13 October.
