Pakistan to host World XI in September
bring international cricket back to Pakistan.
The three-game series of T20 games between Pakistan and a Rest of the World will be accorded international status.
Pakistan skipper Sarfraz Ahmad too had echoed Arthur’s view and said: “I hope our Champions Trophy win will boost Pakistan cricket and all top nations will come to play in Pakistan.”
Many of the Pakistan players who attended the media zone after the triumph were also asked about chances of international cricket returning to Pakistan and everyone wanted to play against international teams in front of their home crowd.
Pakistan fans wait to see their Champions Trophy heroes in action too will end with the proposed World XI series.
The Champions Trophy triumph may also win the confidence from the top cricketing nations to tour Pakistan.
True cricket lovers
Ever since the 2009 terror attack on the Sri Lankan team, top nations and top international cricketers have refused to play in Pakistan due to security reasons.
Giles Clarke, head of the ICC’s Pakistan task force to ensure international cricket’s return to Pakistan, said while addressing the media during the final of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) in Lahore in March this year: “I have a very strong opinion that we should never, ever allow terrorism and terrorists to dictate what we do. Terrorists have no place in our society or anywhere on earth. Pakistanis are true cricket lovers and they deserve to see their heroes and world stars playing at home.”
The Pakistan Cricket Board has assured that the highest level of security will be in place for the World XI series, similar to what was provided for the PSL final which was held on March 5 this year. Though many foreign players who were playing in the earlier rounds of the PSL staged in the UAE refused to tour Pakistan, West Indies stars like Darren Sammy, Marlon Samuels and England’s Chris Jordan played in the final.
Speaking to Gulf News during the PSL, Najam Sethi, who heads the PCB’s executive board and is the chairman of PSL, had said: “The World XI series is on the cards. We are in touch with security people, including consultants to the ICC and various boards to ensure that such a series happens.”
Sethi now wants more matches of the next edition of the PSL to be held in Pakistan than in UAE, which has been hosting majority of the matches.