“When I sit down with my family some day and we talk about this. South Africa’s captain, Faf du Plessis, said that this historic tour presents a rare opportunity for the players to be part of something bigger than just cricket. “The ability of Pakistan to play international cricket at home is crucial to the long-term health of the game in Pakistan and one of the main reasons why the ICC established the Pakistan Task Force under the leadership of Giles Clarke, to explore, in partnership with the PCB, how we can get international cricket back to Pakistan safely and on a regular basis.”
![will international cricket return to pakistan will international cricket return to pakistan](https://images.indianexpress.com/2017/09/pak-vs-world-xi-_ap-m.jpg)
It has been a long and tough journey as the PCB, Pakistan players and fans have been starved of the opportunity to stage, play and watch international cricket in their own country.” ICC’s Chairman, Shashank Manohar, said in a statement: “This is a good day for world cricket as the PCB hosts a World XI in Lahore. Local television shows pre-match footage on a constant loop, showing the player’s arrival at Lahore and their practices at the Gaddafi Stadium.
#WILL INTERNATIONAL CRICKET RETURN TO PAKISTAN SERIES#
The upcoming series will be the first time for young cricket fans to experience a high-profile match in their country. The fruitful hosting of this match, gave the PCB enough confidence to schedule the Independence Cup series. In March, the final of the domestic T20 Pakistan Super League, featuring several high profile foreign players, was a success. The tour, that happened from 19 to, consisted of three ODIs and two T20s.Ĭurrently, Pakistan’s home matches are played in Dubai, something that costs considerable revenue in fees and other expenses. Since 2009, only Zimbabwe has toured Pakistan. In May 2002, the New Zealand cricket team abandoned a Test series after a suicide bomb attack occurred outside the hotel where they were staying. The Sri Lankan team was on its way to play the third day of a second Test against Pakistan.Įven before this event, the safety of touring cricket teams in Pakistan had been an issue. Six members of the team were injured and six Pakistani policemen and two civilians were killed. On 3 March 2009, a bus carrying Sri Lankan cricketers was attacked by 12 gunmen near the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. The Independence Cup will take place under extreme security measures and will be monitored by other cricket boards.Īccording to Pakistan’s Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, Najam Sethi, if there are no problems during the series, Pakistan expects to host Sri Lanka and West Indies later this year. Starting on Tuesday, Pakistan will host three international T20 matches against a World XI, marking the return of international cricket to the country.