Najam Sethi Hopeful of Bringing Back Cricket to Pakistan

Aug 10, 2017 at 2:45 PM

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Najam Sethi Hopeful of Bringing Back Cricket to Pakistan

Newly elected Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Najam Sethi is hopeful of the fact that the upcoming World XI series which is scheduled to be held in Pakistan will help bring back international cricket to the country.

Read More: (Najam Sethi announced as PCB chief)

During the annual meeting in June earlier in the year. The International Cricket Council (ICC) had confirmed earlier in the year that they would be sending a World XI team to Pakistan for a 3 match T20I series and all the matches will be accredited with international status and will be played at the iconic Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

“We hope to bring a World XI for a three-match Twenty20 series and the next two-three months will bring more good news,” Sethi was quoted as saying by the media on Wednesday.

Ever since the infamous militant attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in 2009, no team barring Zimbabwe in 2015 has toured Pakistan and the Asian giants have been forced to play their home matches in UAE or Dubai.

The attack on the Sri Lankan team bus left many injured and the series was immediately called off. It was an unforeseen incident and no one predicted that to happen. Sethi who was declared as the new Chairman on Wednesday for a three year period is of the opinion that dealing with the security will definitely be a challenge but they are up for it and it’s worth the effort.

Giles Clarke had also investigated the security situation in Pakistan as the head of ICC’s Pakistan task force and was quoted as saying to the Guardian in March.

“The desire is to give the cricket-starved Pakistani supporters the chance to see some of the world’s finest players in live action. Furthermore, the terrorists cannot win and cricket must not give up on Pakistan.”

Sethi stated that an invitation has been sent to Sri Lanka Cricket inviting their side to tour Pakistan and the new chairman is hopeful of receiving a confirmation for the same in the upcoming Asian Cricket Council Meeting which is scheduled to be held in Colombo.

“We need to show patience because it is related to the security situation in the country,” Sethi said. “We have invited Sri Lanka to play a few matches after their series with us and I will try to get a reply to that invitation,” he added.

According to the current schedule, Pakistan is scheduled to play two Tests, three ODI’s and two T20I’s against the Island nation in September-October. According to the earlier fixtures, Pakistan was scheduled to host Sri Lanka in UAE, their adopted home but now they will definitely look to push for a series in their own country.

Sethi also conceded that the board will press for a change in venue for the upcoming U-19 Asia Cup which is scheduled to be held in Bangalore from November later in the year. Ever since the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai, the political tension between the two countries have reached a new high which has affected bilateral ties between the two teams big time.

Not only India didn’t tour Pakistan they had to face other problems too with the most prominent being relocating Pakistan’s matches during the ICC Women’s World Cup in 2013.

“We will discuss this matter in the ACC meeting in Colombo on Saturday and we think that the event can be held at any other secure venue outside India and Pakistan,” Sethi was quoted as saying by AFP.

Also Read: (PCB opposes U-19 Asia Cup schedule in India)

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