With the arrival of a team led by former Sri Lanka captain Sanath
Jayasuriya in Karachi, international cricket of sorts is set to return
to Pakistan. Ehsan Mani,
the former ICC chief, feels that though the two matches to be played
this weekend will boost Pakistan's reputation as a viable host for
international cricket, they won't be enough to convince Test teams to
play in the country yet.
The International XI includes South African fast bowlers Andre Nel and
Nantie Hayward, and West Indies players Jermaine Lawson and Ricardo
Powell. They face a Pakistan All Stars XI team in Twenty20 matches at
the National Stadium in Karachi on Saturday and Sunday. There has been
no international cricket in Pakistan since March 2009, when the Sri
Lankan team bus was attacked.
"I do not think that these matches will have an immediate impact in
persuading ICC Full Member teams to tour Pakistan but it is a step in
the right direction," Mani told ESPNcricinfo. "The International XI is a
small but significant step in the confidence building process to assure
overseas players and teams that Pakistan is open for cricket and it is
safe for overseas players to come to Pakistan."
Without doubt Pakistan is desperate and in need of international cricket
in their backyard; youth development is on hold as no team even at the
youth level is ready to tour, the PCB has suffered a budget deficit for
years, stadiums are getting rusty, fans are deprived. At a time when
Pakistan is a no go-area for major international teams, though a side
comprising international players have arrived in the country, the PCB
has disassociated itself from the tour.
They have stressed that the games are unofficial and are unsanctioned,
and have left Sindh sports minister Dr Mohammad Ali Shah to deal with
most of the arrangements.
"I was disappointed to read that the PCB had disassociated itself from
the matches; it appears that PCB is covering itself in case something
goes wrong," Mani said. "This gives totally the wrong message. The PCB
should have been very much involved, including assuring itself that
adequate security arrangements are in place. It is disgraceful that the
initiative to convince players to come to Pakistan is not being led by
the PCB but by the Sindh government.
"The PCB's approach to bringing international cricket back to Pakistan
is flawed," Mani said. "It tried to first persuade and then bully
Bangladesh to tour Pakistan. The PCB does not seem to understand that
before a full international tour can take place, teams such as the
International XI should tour Pakistan to provide a degree of comfort to
the ICC Member countries."
Pakistan cricket chief Zaka Ashraf, though, has said the revival of
international cricket is his top priority but apparently accepted the
goal is tough to achieve in the near future. While talking to
ESPNcricinfo last month, he called the approach of the cricketing world
towards touring Pakistan as 'rigid'.
Mani said the PCB needed to be fully aware of the steps necessary for
the return of international tours to the country. "The PCB clearly does
not understand the politics of cricket and the pressures on certain
countries not to tour Pakistan by others with a different agenda.
"The PCB also does not appear to have agreement with the ICC on what
assurances the ICC will require before a team and ICC officials consider
it safe to come to Pakistan," he said. "It does not help that no PCB
official or member of the security agency mandated to provide security
to the Sri Lankan team in 2009 has been made accountable and punished
for the disastrous lapse of security which put at risk the lives of
players and officials and cost the lives of security personnel and
destroyed international cricket in Pakistan."
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