Revival of international cricket in Pakistan responsibility of ICC: Asian Cricket Council – Cricket News Update
The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has clarified that it has no role to play in the revival of international cricket in Pakistan, claiming that the responsibility for bringing the sport back to the country rests solely on the International Cricket Council (ICC).
"The ACC can't do anything to revive international cricket in Pakistan, this has to be done by the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/ICC-World-Cup-2011-c100625 (International Cricket Council)," said ACC chief executive Ashraful Huq, while speaking to the media after an ACC development committee meeting which was
held in Islamabad.
Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and head of the development committee Zaka http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ashraf-c46397, however, issued a more direct appeal, urging all ACC member countries to aid the cause by sending their teams to Pakistan.
"Our main task is to bring back international matches to our country as our people have been deprived of watching their team play at home," he said. "Any Asian country is most welcome to send its team to http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Afghanistan-c745
has made good use of our facilities and so has http://www.senore.com/Cricket/China-c40996. We invite other Asian countries to also come take advantage of our offer."
Pakistan has been a no-go area for foreign teams after a touring Sri Lankan cricket team found themselves the target of a militant terrorist attack in 2009, while on their way to the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
The attack raised concerns regarding the security situation in the country, and since then, the PCB has been forced to arrange “home” series at neutral venues, the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/United-Arab-Emirates-c3033 being the board’s most preferred option. Pakistan’s most recent “home”
series was also held in the UAE, against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746, and comprised 3 ODIs and 3 T20Is.
With the lack of international cricket in the country, the board has fallen into a financial crisis, owing to the lack of revenue – despite the compensation the PCB received from the ICC after they were removed as co-hosts of the ICC World Cup 2011, the
board’s budget has consistently been in red.
After having failed to attract foreign teams to tour Pakistan (with the latest having been a failed attempt to invite http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bangladesh-c747 earlier this year), the board has been busy devising alternative methods for generating revenue, among these a plan for the launch
of a T20 premier league. However with the country’s status as a venue for international sporting events thrown into question, more steps on a larger scale will need to be taken in order to bring cricket back to Pakistan.
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