Pakistan looks at Sri Lanka to host England series

Reuters) - Pakistan is examining the possibility of hosting its home cricket series against England in Sri Lanka early next year because of security concerns.

A senior Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official told Reuters on Thursday that they was looking at Sri Lanka, or as a back-up, the United Arab Emirates as potential venues.

“While finalising the venues it will boil down to the cost factor,” said chief operating officer Subhan Ahmed. “We have got an offer from Sri Lanka to host the series and are looking at it.”

England also wants to play the scheduled series at a neutral venue because of the worrying security situation in Pakistan.

No foreign team has visited Pakistan since 2009 when in March of that year militants attacked the Sri Lankan team in Lahore killing six Pakistani policemen and a van driver.

Five visiting players in the team bus were also wounded.

Ahmed said that the PCB had to see where it could save on costs.

“We are already struggling because of not being able to host any international matches at home,” he said.

“But we need to carry on our obligations even at neutral venues. But cost is a big deciding factor for us.”

Pakistan has in the last two years played its one-day and test series against Australia, New Zealand and South Africa in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Last year England hosted Pakistan’s home tests against Australia.

Ahmad said the series against England was an important one and could yield significant revenues from sponsorship and other rights for Pakistan.

“Sri Lanka is keen but we have to see where we can get the best sponsors in Sri Lanka or the UAE,” he added.

Pakistan is also due to play a home series against Sri Lanka late this year but the venue is yet to be finalised.

Sri Lanka has said they are ready to play at home or any neutral venue.

After playing Sri Lanka in October-November, Pakistan goes to Bangladesh before hosting England.

Bin Laden hideout town to host cricket match

Reuters) - Pakistan has scheduled a cricket match against Afghanistan in the town of Abbottabad where al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed in a U.S. raid.

Worldwide media coverage of bin Laden’s death on May 2 has turned the sleepy garrison town into a major tourist attraction, but cricket authorities said the plan for it to host the match between Pakistan A and Afghanistan was made before the raid.

“The main reason for giving a match to Abbottabad is because of its higher altitude and cooler weather at this time of the year when it is really hot in the rest of the country,” a Pakistan Cricket Board spokesperson said.

The match will take place on May 29 as part of a one-day series.

Afghanistan is the first foreign team to play an official match in Pakistan since militants attacked the Sri Lankan team in Lahore in March 2009. Six Pakistani policemen and a van driver were killed and five Sri Lankan players wounded.

Pakistan replace Afridi as one-day captain

Reuters) - The Pakistan Cricket Board has removed Shahid Afridi as one-day team captain for the forthcoming series against Ireland.

Chairman of the board Ijaz Butt told a media conference in Islamabad that senior batsman Misbah-ul-Haq would lead the team in the two one-day matches against Ireland on May 28 and 30.

“Afridi has been retained as a player in the one-day squad but the captaincy has gone to Misbah,” Butt said without elaborating the reason for the decision.

Afridi had captained the team to the World Cup semi-finals where they lost to India and recently also guided them to a 3-2 win over the West Indies in the ODI series in the Caribbean. Afridi ruffled feathers in the PCB and team when he returned from the Caribbean early this month and told the media that he was not happy with people interfering in his work. Although the all-rounder didn’t name names, media reports said he had developed differences with head coach Waqar Younis over team selection issues.

The PCB issued a notice to Afridi to explain his conduct as he had violated the players’ code of conduct with his statement on team affairs.

Butt made it clear Afridi had never been given any assurances regarding the captaincy. He pointed out that the present policy of the board was to appoint captain on a series-to-series basis.

Afridi had struggled with bat and ball in the one-day series in the West Indies but has been leading the national team in limited overs cricket since early 2010 while Misbah has been test captain since last year. The national selectors have made no changes in the test squad playing in the West Indies at present but included Afridi and senior batsman Younis Khan in the side for the Ireland matches.

Younis had returned home before the first test in the West Indies due to the death of his elder brother. Pakistan squad: Misbah-ul-Haq (Captain), Younis Khan, Taufiq Umar, Mohammad Hafeez, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Salman,Saeed Ajmal, Abdul Rehman, Umar Akmal, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Junaid Khan, Tanvir Ahmed, Hammad Azam.