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The 13-man World XI squad from seven cricket-playing nations today landed in Lahore early morning in the presence of heavy security which included air surveillance and dozens of police vans.
The hotel and stadium will be cordoned off with 9,000 police and paramilitary staff deployed during the next five days.
The side has arrived to take part in the ambitious three-match independence T20 Independence Cup hosted by the PCB with the support of the ICC in a bid to revive international cricket in Pakistan. Ever since the 2009 terrorist attack on the Sri Lanka national team outside Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, which resulted in the death of eight people and injuring seven players and staff.
Pakistan has faced an isolation regarding hosting international teams on their soil due to security fears. However, this might potentially change as the success of the Independence Cup series will make way for further international tours to Pakistan. Sri Lanka is already announced their plans to visit the country later this year.
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Led by South African skipper Faf du Plessis and coached by former Zimbabwe batsman and ex-England coach Andy Flower, the squad consists of Australians George Bailey, Ben Cutting, and Tim Paine along with South African superstars Hashim Amla, Morne Morkel and David Miller and West Indies’ Darren Sammy. They flew in together after assembling in Lahore after the training camp in Dubai.
Samuel Badree, the fourteenth player, is yet to arrive.
Earlier on Sunday Malik Mohammad Khan, a spokesperson for the government of Punjab province, of which Lahore is the capital, said authorities were providing “foolproof security for the World XI with a significant contingent of security officials deployed.”
The Independence Cup matches will be broadcasted on PTV in Pakistan and fans across the border in India can watch the series on DSport after the new premium sports TV channel launched by Discovery Communications India acquired the exclusive broadcast rights for that country.
World XI squad: Faf du Plessis (c), Hashim Amla, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Samuel Badree, George Bailey, Ben Cutting, Grant Elliot, Tamim Iqbal, Tim Paine, Thisara Perera, Darren Sammy, Imran Tahir, Paul Collingwood
Pakistan squad: Sarfraz Ahmed (c, wk), Fakhar Zaman, Ahmed Shehzad, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Umar Amin, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Fahim Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Aamer Yamin, Mohammad Amir, Rumman Raees, Usman Khan, Sohail Khan