Pakistan open to US cricket series

CRICKET: KARACHI, Feb 13, 2010: Pakistan is exploring the possiblity of playing international cricket in the United States and getting a foot hold in the game’s expanding US market, its cricket board said Thursday.

Pakistan has become increasingly isolated as a cricketing nation due to security problems, with teams either reluctant or refusing to tour the troubled country since the September 11, 2001 attacks.

An attack on the Sri Lankan team last March, which left eight people dead and injured seven Sri Lankan players and their assistant coach, put paid to Pakistan’s chances of staging international cricket in the near future.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) subsequently moved Pakistan’s 2011 World Cup matches to India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has since used neutral venues to play “home” matches, such as the United Arab Emirates and England, where they are scheduled to play their Test matches against Australia later this year.

PCB chairman Ijaz Butt and chief operating officer Wasim Bari met officials from the United States of America Cricket Association (USACA) on the sidelines of an ICC meeting Wednesday.

“PCB chairman Butt and Bari held a meeting with USACA officials to discuss organising a match series in the USA in 2010. The matches will feature the defending ICC World T20 champions Pakistan,” said a PCB statement.

Officials hope a Twenty20 series will attract huge interest from Pakistanis and Indians living in the United States, as well as a global audience.

Butt said the series would help cricket grow in the United States.

“Pakistan playing as a full member in the USA is in line with the ICC policy to grow the sport in countries such as the United States and as the negotiations continue we hope a series will be played later this year,” he said. AFP