Pakistan cricket chief hopeful Bangladesh tour will follow Sri Lanka's landmark visit

Waseem Ahmed 11:23 24/09/2019
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  • The return of international cricket to Pakistan is set to accelerate in the coming year, according to PCB chief executive Wasim Khan.

    Sri Lanka have flown out to play an ODI and T20 series starting Friday, in what is the most high-profile tour in Pakistan since the 2009 terror attack in Lahore that targeted the Sri Lankan team bus.

    Ten senior Sri Lankan players have opted out of the tour citing security concerns, but the country’s defence ministry has since established there is no active threat to the team in Pakistan.

    Wasim Khan – who was appointed by the PCB as its chief executive last December – believes this is just the start of a fully-fledged return of international matches on home soil for Pakistan, having hosted the bulk of their matches in the UAE over the past decade.

    Dawn report that talks with Bangladesh are ongoing over a tour in January 2020, while Khan insists there have been encouraging signs from the powers-that-be from cricket boards such as Australia and England.

    “Look, the Sri Lankan tour is also important because there is nothing better and more effective than word of mouth to convince people,” Khan told Dawn.There is a huge difference between perception and reality and, Insha’Allah, when the Sri Lankan players return from Pakistan, they will surely be speaking positively about the safe and conducive playing conditions in Pakistan.

    “The coming matches are sort of a litmus test given our endeavour to bring international cricket back into our country. Recently, Kevin Roberts and Sean Connell of Cricket Australia were here. They were very pleased with what they experienced during their brief stay. We are hopeful Australia would play in Pakistan during the 2022 schedule series against us.

    “Then, of course, the England and Wales Cricket Board’s CEO Tom Harrison is arriving next month and his visit will coincide with the T20 games against SL. So things are moving in the right direction and I am very optimistic about our efforts bearing fruit.”

    It remains unclear whether Sri Lanka will accept visiting Pakistan for the two-Test series, which is slated for December. Sri Lanka’s sports minister Harin Fernando ruled the possibility out in August, but Khan is holding out hope.

    “The most important thing is that a full-fledged international series of matches is going to place in Pakistan after a long gap, and we are hoping that other teams also take a cue from Sri Lanka and visit Pakistan in the near future,” he added.

    “At this point in time, we are extremely grateful to Sri Lanka for honouring the commitment to play a bilateral series in Pakistan. It is a 13-day tour which is the longest by a team since 2009.

    “Hopefully, the planned Test series against Sri Lanka [now rescheduled to December] is also staged in our country rather than on a neutral territory.”

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