Earlier the International Cricket Council (ICC) approved a six-match T20I series on the request of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), but Pakistan still wanted to play an ODI series.[4][5] The PCB chairman, Zaka Ashraf proposed the matches start in the evening to avoid the worst of the heat.[5] The series was initially scheduled to take place in Sri Lanka but clashed with the dates of the Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL) and was shifted to the UAE.[6]