South Africa pull out of Pak tour due to security concerns

Karachi:

South Africa has become the latest team to pull out of a scheduled Test tour to Pakistan because of security concerns.

The Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Ejaz Butt confirmed that South Africa have expressed their inability to visit Pakistan in October-November this year to play three Tests and five one-dayers.

"They have offered to instead host the series in South Africa as a 'home' series for Pakistan which means we will technically be the hosts," Butt said.

The former Test player said he has told the South Africans that Pakistan was looking at other neutral venue options including the United Arab Emirates and Sri Lanka.

"But we will definitely be hosting the series on schedule as it is an important one for us. We will decide on the neutral venues soon," he said.

Since the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore last march, there has been no international cricket in Pakistan due to the security conditions.

Pakistan has since played a home one-day series against Australia and New Zealand in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and a Test series in New Zealand.

It is also trying to arrange a bilateral series against arch-rivals India at a neutral venue and this year will also host Australia for two tests and two Twenty20 matches in England.