Cricket: Venue-hunt on for the Australia series
Scheduled to start in August when it’s too hot to play in the UAE.
KARACHI:
Despite Pakistan’s brilliant performance in the UAE recently, the country’s cricket board is on the lookout for a substitute venue to host Australia later this year – it will be too hot to play there in August.
The series originally comprised five One-Day Internationals and one Twenty20 but with the 2012 World Twenty20 taking place immediately after, both boards agreed to increase the number of Twenty20s to three. The venue, however, is still being sought and, according to a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official, Bangladesh’s proposed tour of the country could alter plans quite drastically.
“Our priority is to host Australia in Pakistan but that depends on the tour of Bangladesh,” the official told The Express Tribune. “We can’t play in the UAE at that time of the year, the heat will be unbearable. So we’re in the middle of rounding up alternative venues, including England and Sri Lanka, and will make a decision that works financially as well.
“UAE has been good for us results wise as well as financially. Sri Lanka gets us a decent crowd too but that’s slightly more expensive. And as we saw in 2010, people love to watch Pakistan play in England. And we have a few more options too.”
Pakistan and Australia played a T20 and Test series in England that was sponsored by the MCC. A war of words followed between Ijaz Butt and Giles Clarke after the spot-fixing revelations, spoiling the cordial relationship between the two boards. The official, however, confirmed that the air has now cleared.
The official, while remaining optimistic about international cricket’s return to Pakistan, added that the PCB might look into building stadiums in the northern regions once cricket gets back to the country.
“We’re looking to not just host bilateral series but global events as well. For that, we need stadiums all over the country, ones that can host matches even in the summer. Building new venues in the north will offer us a new audience as well as more options.”
Published in The Express Tribune, January 22nd, 2012.
Despite Pakistan’s brilliant performance in the UAE recently, the country’s cricket board is on the lookout for a substitute venue to host Australia later this year – it will be too hot to play there in August.
The series originally comprised five One-Day Internationals and one Twenty20 but with the 2012 World Twenty20 taking place immediately after, both boards agreed to increase the number of Twenty20s to three. The venue, however, is still being sought and, according to a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official, Bangladesh’s proposed tour of the country could alter plans quite drastically.
“Our priority is to host Australia in Pakistan but that depends on the tour of Bangladesh,” the official told The Express Tribune. “We can’t play in the UAE at that time of the year, the heat will be unbearable. So we’re in the middle of rounding up alternative venues, including England and Sri Lanka, and will make a decision that works financially as well.
“UAE has been good for us results wise as well as financially. Sri Lanka gets us a decent crowd too but that’s slightly more expensive. And as we saw in 2010, people love to watch Pakistan play in England. And we have a few more options too.”
Pakistan and Australia played a T20 and Test series in England that was sponsored by the MCC. A war of words followed between Ijaz Butt and Giles Clarke after the spot-fixing revelations, spoiling the cordial relationship between the two boards. The official, however, confirmed that the air has now cleared.
The official, while remaining optimistic about international cricket’s return to Pakistan, added that the PCB might look into building stadiums in the northern regions once cricket gets back to the country.
“We’re looking to not just host bilateral series but global events as well. For that, we need stadiums all over the country, ones that can host matches even in the summer. Building new venues in the north will offer us a new audience as well as more options.”
Published in The Express Tribune, January 22nd, 2012.