Moving home series to neutral venues will be our last resort: PCB

The PCB had no option but to stage their home series against South Africa in the UAE amidst security concerns in the country. PHOTO: AFP

KARACHI: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will make all the efforts for the revival of international cricket in the country and will wait till the last moment before moving any of their scheduled future home series to a neutral venue, according to a top board official.

The PCB has given a firm response to the UAE proposal of staging the country’s future home series, like the ongoing series against South Africa, in the Gulf. The Emirates Cricket Board has promised to provide its venues to Pakistan which is considered a second home for the ‘men in green’.

“We welcome UAE’s support for Pakistan but we will not finalise anything in a hasty manner,” PCB spokesman Nadeem Sarwar told The Express Tribune from Abu Dhabi.

“It is very considerate of the Emirates Cricket Board to show an interest in staging more of Pakistan’s home series in the UAE but our priorities are different because we are aiming to bring back international cricket to our country again.”

Besides their ongoing series against South Africa in the UAE, Pakistan were forced to play their home series against Australia in England and were also stripped of the status of co-hosts for next year’s World Cup due to security concerns. The country has been deprived of staging international cricket since the March 2009 attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore which left seven players and an official injured besides killing eight people.

Pakistan are scheduled to host Sri Lanka next October before their home series against England in early 2012. The board’s spokesman said there was ample time left in the two upcoming series and the board is hopeful that things would get back on track after the World Cup in February/March.

“Hopefully things will change in the coming months as we’re still hopeful of the World XI visiting Pakistan. We might also host Zimbabwe before the World Cup so the board is optimistic about the return of international cricket to the country,” added Sarwar.

Previously, Zimbabwe agreed to play in Pakistan to raise funds for millions of flood victims but both the boards are yet to finalise the schedule for the series while the International Cricket Council (ICC) task team headed by Giles Clarke has also promised to send the World XI team to Pakistan in a bid to find ways and means for the international cricket revival.

However, the PCB spokesman added that the board was keeping its options open for the staging of its home series elsewhere. “We will not be rejecting any of the offers for a neutral venue and will keep all our options open. But the shifting of our home series to a neutral venue would be the last resort for the board,” said the official.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 30^th, 2010.