|| AFP ||

Pakistan's Cricket Board said on Friday it will host South Africa and New Zealand in a one-day international tri-series, the country's first tournament involving three nations after a gap of 20 years.

The series was greenlit on the sidelines of an International Cricket Council (ICC) meeting in Dubai, according to Pakistan's board.

International cricket only fully returned to Pakistan in 2020, following attacks on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore in 2009.

Pakistan was stripped of its right to co-host the World Cup two years later, with security concerns lingering in the aftermath of those attacks.

The country last hosted a tri-series in 2004, which involved Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.

Newly elected PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi said the tri-series will serve as a build-up to the eight-nation Champions Trophy, the first ICC event in the country since the 1996 World Cup.

"The tri-series between Pakistan, South Africa and New Zealand will be an exciting event and it is after a long time that Pakistan will host such a tournament," Naqvi said in the PCB release.

"The PCB is also looking forward to hosting the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 which will be a great pleasure for Pakistan to host the top eight ODI teams on its soil."