Pakistan Announce Zimbabwe Tour Itinerary
All five matches -- two Twenty20s and three one-day internationals -- are to be played in the eastern city of Lahore after Cricket Zimbabwe (CZ) refused to play in Karachi.
Pakistan on Thursday announced the itinerary for Zimbabwe's proposed tour next month where they are set to become the first Test playing nation to visit the militancy-hit South Asian country in six years.(Pakistan Ready to Spend 5 Lakh USD)
All five matches -- two Twenty20s and three one-day internationals -- are to be played in the eastern city of Lahore after Cricket Zimbabwe (CZ) refused to play in Karachi.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said CZ had told the International Cricket Council (ICC) it would visit Pakistan between May 19 and June 1.
"I am grateful to my counterpart in CZ, Wilson Manase, for acceding to our request of sending a full side on a tour to Pakistan," PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan said in a statement.
"This would be an auspicious moment for Pakistan cricket and I am positive that it would open doors of international cricket in Pakistan.
"I am indeed confident that Zimbabwe's incident-free tour shall be the harbinger of more and more associate and full member nations visiting us in the months and years to come," he added.
A Zimbabwean security team is set to come to inspect security arrangements in Lahore on May 4, the statement said.
Pakistan hopes the series will encourage other international teams to visit Pakistan.
Major sides have avoided the country since militants attacked the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore in March 2009, killing eight people and injuring seven visiting players.
Bangladesh have backed out twice after initially agreeing to tour, citing security fears, though Pakistan have managed to host minor teams Afghanistan and Kenya.
Itinerary:
May 22: First Twenty20 international
May 24: Second Twenty20 international
May 26: First one-day
May 29: Second one-day
May 31: Third one-day