Pakistan interior minister: White-ball matches against Australia moved from Rawalpindi to Lahore

Political rallies later this month scheduled in Islamabad – the twin city of Rawalpindi – has led to the change of venues

The feverish political atmosphere has led to both the ruling party, Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and the opposition Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), promising to bring massive numbers in support for their respective causes towards Islamabad, which adjoins Rawalpindi. The country’s interior minister, Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad, announced the change in a press conference on Friday, making official a development that is believed to have been in the works over the past week.

PTI has announced it will bring one million people to D Chowk, a square in Islamabad known for hosting political rallies, on March 27 “to express solidarity with the prime minister Imran Khan”. The spot is less than two kilometres from the hotel where the two teams were expected to stay during the series. PDM has also given a call to its workers and the public at large to begin a long march towards Islamabad on Pakistan Day – March 23.

Rawalpindi was scheduled to host the three ODIs on March 29, March 31 and April 2, and a one-off T20I on April 5. The PCB was understood to initially be reluctant to shift venue, concerned about the message it might send to the cricketing world, but appear to have ultimately had its hand forced by circumstances. It is not yet clear if the dates of the games will change too.