Afghanistan, Hong Kong to help Pakistan

Cricket teams from Afghanistan and Hong Kong are to appear in a club-level event in Pakistan to revive sports.

KARACHI: Cricket teams from Afghanistan and Hong Kong are to appear in a club-level event in Pakistan, in a tentative step towards reviving the sport in the country. Pakistan has not hosted any international cricket since the Sri Lankan team was attacked in Lahore in March 2009. Since then Pakistan have played their home series at neutral venues such as England and the UAE.

Sindh’s sports minister Mohammad Ali Shah claimed that Afghanistan and Hong Kong have agreed to send their teams for a tournament that is being held in the month of Ramazan.

“It may be a small effort to revive international cricket in Pakistan, but I am happy to announce that Afghanistan and Hong Kong are sending their teams and their participation will encourage other teams to come to Pakistan,” said Shah.

The Afghan team will include nine players from the squad which competed in the third edition of the World Twenty20 held in the West Indies in April and May, which was their first appearance at a top-level international tournament.

Meanwhile, the 16-team Twenty20 tournament will be held in Pakistan from August 12 to September 6, with Rs10 million prize money on offer.

Shah said security for the teams would be foolproof. “We are devising a strict security plan and there will be foolproof security for the teams.”

Published in The Express Tribune, July 29^th, 2010.