Kenya arrive in Lahore unfazed by security concerns

The tourists will play five matches against Pakistan A starting Dec 13

KARACHI: Former Kenya captain and current coach Steve Tikolo has stressed that his side is solely focused on playing cricket and avoiding any side issues such as security concerns as they arrived in Pakistan on Wednesday.

The Kenyans will be playing five 45-over matches against Pakistan A at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore starting December 13. It is another step forward for Pakistan who are continuing their efforts to revive international cricket in the country.

“For me it’s about the game of cricket and not the side issues or politics because if you’re a cricketer, you just want to play and that’s what my team is looking to do,” said Tikolo in a press conference at the Gaddafi Stadium.

“If we want to move world cricket forward then that is what should be happening and it’s an honour for us to be in Pakistan.”

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has been making regular efforts to host associate countries in the recent past in hopes that this could pave way for hosting powerhouses of the cricketing world.

The PCB came close to hosting Ireland for a three-match ODI series in September, but an attack on Karachi’s international airport disrupted those plans.

Tikolo recalled that his players had asked the Kenya cricket board to arrange the tour without giving it a second thought. “No security team from Kenya came here to assess the situation and give us a green signal. When the players were told that PCB wanted to host us, we told our board to go ahead and arrange the tour since our players gave a positive response to the idea.

“This tour is a part of our preparations for the World Cricket League Qualifiers in January in Namibia. Pakistan is a big country in cricket and I believe the games we’ll play in next 10 days will give my boys much-needed experience and match practice going into that tournament.”

The 43-year-old added that they have some exciting players in Alex Obanda and Morris Ouma and further said they had a good blend of seniors and youngsters in the team.

PCB chairman hopeful of a better future

PCB Chairman Shaharyar Khan hoped that Kenya’s visit was just the start of big things to come in the future.

“Kenya are here and I hope it will be a successful tour for the public and the International Cricket Council to see,” stated Shaharyar.

“Hopefully the graph regarding terrorism will only go down with time and top teams from around the world will come and play in Pakistan again. There are certain sides from the 10 main international teams who have told us to start the process while they considered touring the country.”

 

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