England board may end agreement for Pakistan home-games
According to a report in the UK’s Sunday Telegraph, the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) may end their contract with the Pakistan Cricket Board to allow it to use the English grounds for home games. Pakistan play all their home games at neutral venues like England, Dubai and Abu Dhabi after teams have refused to travel to the country due to security issues.
With a sizeable Pakistani population settled in the UK, the ECB had offered to host http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 for neutral games recently. This had been followed by a T20I and a Test series against the Australian side with matches played at Headingley and Lord’s. Unfortunately, with the lack of crowds, ostensibly because of the match-fixing allegations that had rocked the Pakistani team in the series against England, it looks like England is set to take back the agreement.
Pakistan last hosted a series in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754 last year.
So far, the news has not been confirmed or denied by the English cricket board, but it is evident that that the lack of interest in the two T20Is between England and Pakistan would have caused the board to think again.
Already three Pakistani players are under the Scotland Yard and the ICC scanner for match-fixing after a sting video revealed their nexus with illegal bookies. Another Pakistani fast bowler, Wahab Riaz was also questioned by the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Scotland-c756 Yard and the results of the investigations are still pending. Whether or not the Scotland Yard can collect enough evidence against them to prosecute them is not yet proven, however the ICC is said to have enough to ban them for an year or so at least.
Earlier, there were indications that England may want to host India and Pakistan in 2011 in a Test series, but http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758 in a series in England, but according to the newspaper report, the series may be shelved and the deal with the PCB called off.
Pakistan has had a horrid summer against England so far, having lost the Test series 3-1, and the T20Is, 2-0. They are down 0-2 in the five-match ODI series as well.
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