Karachi: Following the deadly attack on the visiting Sri Lankan team in Lahore in 2009, the international cricket drought in Pakistan, baring the brief tour of the Zimbabwe cricket team last year, is over seven years now. The major teams have been shying away from touring Pakistan and in a bid to convince them, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has bought four bullet-proof buses to assure adequate security arrangements. In this connection, the head of the PCB executive committee, Najam Sethi told Reuters Television that the board was seriously planning to invite foreign teams to Pakistan.
“The reason for this is that we are seriously planning to invite some foreign teams to Pakistan, and this is one of the requirements that we should provide the best possible security for them”, Sethi said
“This is a good sign because this means that once all our security arrangements are in place, we shall be able to assure, give the required assurances to foreign players and foreign players associations and cricket boards that the best possible security will be provided to foreign players as they come to Pakistan. This has been a belated decision but it is now here, the buses are here, and God willing, we expect to see foreign teams touring Pakistan in the very near future”, Sethi added.
Najam Sethi described the buses as well-equipped to guard players and hoped that having the bulletproof vehicles would play a major part in convincing teams to visit Pakistan. “The PCB has invested in four buses. These are all armoured to B 6 level, which is to say they are sturdy and solid, and will protect our players who travel in them from any form of attack”, said Najam Sethi
Najam Sethi also expressed the desire to hold the final of the 2nd edition of the Pakistan Super League in Lahore. The first edition of the PSL was held in the UAE earlier this year.
The writer is a sports journalist in Pakistan & tweets @mak_asif