England proposes to host Pakistan

Karachi:

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have invited Pakistan to tour there next year instead of the Englishmen travelling to the sub-continent nation as per the ICC Future Tours Programme.

A Pakistan Cricket Board official on Thursday said the ECB had invited Pakistan to play four Tests, five One-Day Internationals and a Twenty20 match in 2010.

"Under FTP England are due to tour Pakistan next year but apparently they feel the best possible solution is that instead we go to England," the official said.

He said that England's decision was apparently prompted due to the security situation in the country.

"We are studying their proposal because they are lot of ambiguities that need to be sorted out. Most importantly who will have the television rights to the series if we go to England because we would consider the tour as a home series," he said.

The official said as per terms for home series, the Dubai based Ten sports had the rights to broadcast the series but the ECB's broadcasting rights were with Sky television.

"This is a very important issue that needs to be sorted out between the broadcasters and the boards," the official said.

The official said under the FTP, Pakistan's scheduled tour to England was in 2011. The official made it clear that Pakistan could accept the ECB proposal in existing circumstances only if the series was cost effective for Pakistan cricket.

"It is a big series for us and we want to earn good revenues from it whether we play the series in Pakistan or England," he said.

The PCB is already negotiating with the ECB and Ireland cricket association to organise a Test series against Australia in England and Ireland next year in summer.

"The finalisation of that series also depends on how cost effective it is for us but we also have to keep in mind that our team needs to play maximum international cricket as well," the official said.

Pakistan hit by security issues is finding it impossible to get teams to tour Pakistan specially since the attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore in March.

New Zealand cricket, who are due to tour Pakistan after the Champions Trophy this year have also offered to split their test and one-day series and play them in New Zealand and at neutral venues.