Certainly, it would be a major breakthrough for Pakistan cricket as the Windies is likely to tour Pakistan in November for the three Twenty20 Internationals, according to the newly-appointed Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman (PCB) – Najam Sethi.
Sethi, who had succeeded Shaharyar Khan earlier this month, reiterated that the cricket board is working hard to revive international cricket in Pakistan.
“Cricket West Indies and Pakistan Cricket Board are advancing discussions that will see the West Indies team play 3 T20 matches with Pakistan in Lahore in late November,” PCB’s statement revealed.
On the other side, the Board has confirmed the World XI three-match Twenty20 series which will kick-start from September 10 at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
The decision came after Punjab Government has approved the proposal and agreed to provide the foolproof security during the upcoming tour of ICC’s World XI.
The reports suggested as many as players from seven countries would feature in the World XI team.
“Players from England, New Zealand, West Indies, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Zimbabwe have agreed to play the World XI tournament in Pakistan, however, India has declined to send its players to Pakistan,” Sethi said during the press briefing.
Pertinently, the 15-member squad will be led will undergo a rigorous training in Dubai owing to the week-long preparatory camp, before landing in Pakistan.
However, the side will be led by former Zimbabwean Andy Flower as a mentor which would be an interesting sight for cricket-starved fans in Pakistan.
In 2015, an embattled nation like Pakistan has witnessed the five-match One-day International series between hosts and Zimbabwe, before the Twenty20 professional Pakistan Super League (PSL) final was held in Lahore on March 5, this year following presidential level security.
The 69-year-old Kasur-born Sethi, who has been unopposed and elected as a PCB Chairman for the third time since 2013, further revealed such series would play a significant role for Pakistan, in a bid to invite the other cricketing countries to play in Pakistan in the foreseeable future.
Moreover, PCB is also looking forward to hosts Sri Lankan team in the solitary T20 match which could be held in September if World XI tour would be conducted without any untoward incident.
On August 9, the prominent journalist was appointed as the 30th chairman of Pakistan for the three-year term, in a Board of Governors (BoG) meeting in Lahore’s National Cricket Academy.
Earlier, the different countries have rejected the proposal of PCB following the security concerns.
It is pertinent to mention, Pakistan is yet to witness a Test match on its home soil since the gory attack on Sri Lankan teams bus in 2009.
Following the severe blow, Pakistan was forced to adopt the United Arab Emirates as its second home.
After the ICC Champions Trophy win, ICC has already shown a keen interest to witness cricket back in Pakistan while throwing all the possible support behind its one of the members after Pakistan Task Force for ICC Giles Clarke has worked immensely alongside former PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan to open the doors for international cricket.