ICC XI might travel to Pakistan next year: Haroon Lorgat
The International Cricket Council (ICC) feels that the lack of international matches in Pakistan might affect the games popularity in the country. ICC’s Chief Executive, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Haroon-Lorgat-c61719 told reporters that the ICC was considering sending a handpicked side to Pakistan to revive the popularity of the game in the country. If this materializes, the tour will take place sometime late next year, with the aim to increase the level of top cricket and recapture the interest of Pakistani fans in international cricket.
“It will always be dependent on the expert advice of the security experts, but we think that perhaps towards the end of next year we must start looking at what the horizon looks like and if it is at all possible [to send a team to Pakistan],” Lorgat told reporters.
Lorgat said there was a strong possibility that an ICC World XI could travel to Pakistan and take on the national team. Haroon also stated that he would accompany any team travelling to Pakistan. He said, “We will assess the situation very, very carefully. We know that we can't leave things as they are if it is at all possible to play in Pakistan," he said. "I'm not just suggesting a bi-lateral series; it may be an ICC XI. Whether it's a youth team, an older team, or whatever... I would go with that team as well.”
One of the main reasons for this would be to raise funds to revive and sustain cricket in Pakistan, which took a downward turn after the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan players outside Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium in 2009. However, Lorgat was cautious. He realized that something had to be done about the situation but didn’t think it is wise to rush into things. “We need to look at it. We shouldn't just sit back and do nothing. But we certainly would not do something that is not properly calculated.”
The ICC has gone one step forward, appointing Mike Brearley and Greg Chappell as ambassadors to help support the Pakistan Cricket Board. Brearley and Chappell are both former Test captains and have been assigned with the task to get the rest of the cricketing world to help the Pakistan Cricket Board and the Pakistan cricket team, which seems to have suffered from not being able to host international matches.
Pakistan was stripped of its hosting rights for the 2011 World Cup and other matches by the ICC, following the attack on the Sri Lankan team, which injured a number of players and killed half a dozen policemen in Lahore. The ICC blamed an "uncertain security situation" in the country as the reason to ban international cricket in Pakistan with most countries refusing to tour http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 after the incident. “It is a regrettable decision (but) our number one priority is to create certainty and... deliver a safe, secure and successful event,” then ICC president David Morgan had said in a statement.
However, the PCB claims to have improved the security arrangements and after more than a year, even the ICC believes that steps should be taken towards restarting international matches in the country. But since no country would be willing to be the first one to travel to Pakistan as conditions are still not considered to be safe, it seems like the ICC has to take matters into its own hands and the ICC XI travelling to Pakistan accompanied by Lorgat seems like a good way to kick things off.
Tags: