PCB writes to Sri Lankan Board for full series
Desperate to revive international cricket in Pakistan, the PCB has written to its Sri Lankan counterpart requesting it to tour the country this year for a full series.
- Press Trust of India
- Updated: February 25, 2011 03:36 PM IST
Desperate to revive international cricket in Pakistan, the PCB has written to its Sri Lankan counterpart requesting it to tour the country this year for a full series.
A senior official of the board told PTI that the PCB has already started a process to convince the Sri Lankan board to undertake the tour in October.
"We have written to them a few months back highlighting the fact that it would be a big boost for Pakistan cricket if they agreed to play the series as scheduled in Pakistan," the official said.
Sources said the PCB had also got indications from the government that it would provide foolproof security for any foreign team willing to tour Pakistan.
The Sri Lankan board Chairman Somachandra de Silva has said that it was in touch with the International Cricket Council's Special Task Force for Pakistan cricket on the matter.
The Sri Lankan board official made it clear that any decision would be based on advice received from the ICC task force and their own authorities on the security situation in Pakistan.
PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt welcomed the statement by his counterpart and expressed the hope that the series would be played in Pakistan.
"The comments of Mr Silva are reassuring and will help a long way in helping restore the confidence of the international cricket community in playing cricket in Pakistan," Butt said in a statement.
"Sri Lanka is a brotherly nation and they have always stood by our side whenever we have needed their support. Whatever happened two years ago was extremely tragic and every cricket-loving Pakistani was feeling sad for the Sri Lankan team," he said.
No foreign team has visited Pakistan since March 2009 when militants attacked the Sri Lankan team in Lahore in which six policemen and a van driver were killed while several players of the travelling side were wounded in the attack.
The attack also led to the ICC stripping Pakistan of its share of World Cup matches due to security concerns.