Pakistan to host World XI in September

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has confirmed that a World XI series be played in Lahore after the Punjab Government approved ‘Presidential level security’ for the tour. The World XI comprising of 15 International players is set to travel to Pakistan in September. Following the approval it has been confirmed Pakistan will host the international players for a T20I series in Lahore.

A 15-man squad comprising players from all top Test-playing countries led by Andy Flower as coach will undergo a seven-day camp in Dubai before travelling to Lahore for the series starting from September 10. This news comes as a huge sigh of relief for the PCB as well as the fans who have not seen International cricket in the country since 2009 apart from Zimbabwe series in 2015.

People to be credited for this series

The series getting the required approval is a result of the retired PCB chief Shahryar Khan’s persistence. The driving force behind this important project has been the ECB president Giles Clarke who is also the chairman of ICC’s Pakistan Task Force. PCB chairman Najam Sethi was very happy and said that the successful organization of this series would pave way for more countries to tour Pakistan. The board is already looking forward to hosting Sri Lanka for the one-off T20I in Lahore.

Several countries have refused to tour Pakistan due to security concerns in the past. Zimbabwe and Afghanistan are the only international teams to play in the country since the militant attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in March 2009. That dealt a huge blow to Pakistan’s status as a host nation, with the country losing the chance to host their share of games in 2011 World Cup which then was co-hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

However, the series could not have come at a better time for Pakistan as they recently won the Champions Trophy. Though, they will have to make sure that the tour is organized smoothly and there are no hiccups on the way. Fans in Pakistan too deserved this series after being deprived of quality cricket from last 8 years.