‘Int’l cricket to resume soon in Pakistan’

LAHORE: Chairman, Pakistan Cricket Board, Ehsan Mani said that international cricket will return to Pakistan later this year when the country will hosting the matches of the Asian test championship against Sri Lanka in September this year and Bangladesh in Jan/Feb next year.

“These are very good news for Pakistan cricket and it will herald the resumption of international cricket in Pakistan,” he said here on Thursday.Ehsan Mani said the ICC test championship is spanned over two years and will end in year 2021. “We will host Lankan team for two test matches of this inaugural edition of the event in September then our team will be flying to Australia in Oct/Nov for one day and night and one day test of the championship,” he said. He disclosed that Sri Lankan and Bangladesh will also be visiting Pakistan as part of bilateral series which will be a big set forward to bring back international cricket to Pakistan.

PCB Chief said the Sri Lankan team will a play bilateral series in Pakistan in December this year to play three one day internationals and similar number of T20 matches.

He said it said PCB is endeavoring to persuade the foreign teams to visit Pakistan and in this regard he is utilizing his experience of heading the international Cricket council and his personal relations with different cricket boards.

“We want to see our cricket arenas having international cricket activities on regular basis, the way it used to be in the past and we are speeding up our efforts and contacts with cricket playing nations as things have improved a lot as far security situation is concerned,” he said. PCB Chief said after the tour of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh team will be visiting Pakistan to play two test matches of the ICC test championship in Jan/Feb next year and it will be followed by three T20 matches of a bilateral series between Pakistan and Bangladesh.

“I am confident that with the successful holding of these events we will be able to send a positive message to the outer world that things have become conducive in Pakistan as far as holding of international cricket is concerned,” he said adding “Holding of these cricket events will serve as confidence building measures for the cricket playing countries that Pakistan is safe country for staging elite cricket events”. He disclosed that the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of cricket Australia will be visiting Pakistan September this year to review security arrangements.

“Chief Executive officer, England and Wales Cricket Board will also be visiting Pakistan later this year to see the security arrangements in Pakistan,” he said adding “These will be very important visits of Australian and England cricket high ups to ascertain the security situation in Pakistan and to assess the possibilities of visit of their respective teams in due course of time”.