Pakistan’s cricket chiefs believe

Pakistan’s cricket chiefs believe that the country is now set to break out of the period of uncertainty that has dogged the sport here in recent times.

“The dry spell is finally over and that’s a good sign for our cricket,” Wasim Bari, the Pakistan Cricket Board’s chief operating officer, told ‘The News’ on Tuesday.

“A lot of positive developments are taking place,” said the former Pakistan Test captain. “I must say that things are improving for Pakistan cricket,” he added.

Coming from a senior official of a cricket board which was recently removed as a World Cup 2011 co-host, such remarks may look a bit surprising.

But Bari has his reasons for feeling good about the current state of Pakistan cricket.

Things are looking better for the sport if you compare it with the situation six months back.

Pakistan cricket became one of the victims of the so-called war on terror following the 9-11 terrorist attacks in the United States. The security situation went from bad to worse in Pakistan because of the war in Afghanistan and later due to the Taliban uprising in the northern parts of its own territory.

Western nations stopped sending their cricket teams to Pakistan even ahead of the fatal blow that came in the shape of a terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team’s bus in Lahore last March. The ambush in broad daylight left eight people dead besides injuring several members of the touring team.

Pakistan, who were stripped of their status as Champions Trophy hosts even before the Lahore attack because of security concerns, also lost their right to host 14 of the World Cup 2011 matches.

Things were really looking bleak for Pakistan at the start of this summer but took a positive turn when the national team lifted the ICC World Twenty20 trophy in England in June.

Just days after returning home from England, the Pakistanis left for a full tour of Sri Lanka in June. They lost in both the Test and one-day series there.

After a brief rest, the national cricketers are now training in Karachi for the ICC Champions Trophy to be played in South Africa from September 22 to October 5.

The elite eight-nation event will mark the start of a very hectic ten-month period for Pakistani cricketers that will take them across three continents for a number of Test, one-day and twenty20 matches.

Pakistan, who did not play a single Test for almost 14 months, are to ‘host’ New Zealand for four One-day Internationals and two Twenty20 matches in Abu Dhabi and Dubai next month. Younis Khan’s men will then play their ‘home’ Test series against the Kiwis in New Zealand in Nov-Dec. The series cannot take place in Pakistan because of security-related issues.

Pakistan will begin a tough tour of Australia in December and will play three Tests, five ODIs and a Twenty20 game Down Under. Later, they are scheduled to defend their World T20 title in the West Indies and will then host Australia in a Test series in England. Pakistan will also play a Test series against England next summer.

“Our players will get plenty of cricket in the coming months. It’s now time that they prove their worth,” said Bari.

However, things are yet to improve on the home front. Pakistan are still some months away from hosting an international cricket match though Bari is hopeful that some ice-breaking games can be staged by next March.

“The security situation (in Pakistan) is getting better every day which is why I’m hopeful for an early return of international cricket here,” said Bari.

Bari’s PCB, meanwhile, is expecting to fill up its depleting bank account following a deal that it has finalised with the International Cricket Council (ICC). Pakistan is likely to receive around Rs1.25 billion for giving up its legal proceedings against the ICC for shifting World Cup 2011 matches from the country.

The Board is also making efforts to revive money-making bilateral matches against India which were suspended following last November’s terrorist attacks in Mumbai. The PCB lost almost US$30 million after India cancelled its tour of Pakistan late last year because of strained relations between the two countries.