PCB may shift NZ series to Malaysia if talks fail with UAE

Karachi:

The Pakistan Cricket Board has picked Malaysia as the alternate neutral venue if talks to hold a one-day series with New Zealand this year in Abu Dhabi and Dubai are not successful.

PCB Chairman Ejaz Butt, who leaves tonight for Dubai to hold talks with the Emirates Cricket Board to discuss the organisation of Pakistan's "home" one-day series against New Zealand there, said he was confident about a positive outcome to the financial agreement that is yet to be reached.

"And if for some reason the talks are not fruitful then we have shortlisted Malaysia as an alternate venue for the one-day series," Butt said.

Butt has visited Malaysia in the past to inspect the cricket facilities there and has also given his cricket advisor Javed Miandad the responsibility of overseeing preparations in Malaysia if the series against New Zealand is played there.

"What is decided is that we will host New Zealand for four One-Day Internationals and a Twenty20 match but the dates will only be finalised once the venues are confirmed," Butt said.

New Zealand has announced it would be hosting the Test series in November-December in Dunedin, Wellington and Napier but the one-day series venues are yet to be decided.