PCB reluctant to host "home" series in UAE

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Press Trust of India Karachi
Last Updated : Dec 20 2013 | 10:30 AM IST
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is hoping for the security situation in the country to improve over the next 10 months, as it is reluctant to host three successive "home" series against Australia, New Zealand and Zimbabwe in the United Arab Emirates.
"The three back-to-back home series will be played from October 2014 to early February 2015 before the World Cup and if the security situation does not change or improve over the next 10 months then we will have to host them in the UAE," PCB's senior official Subhan Ahmad said.
Pakistan has not hosted a series at home since 2009 when in March militants attacked the Sri Lankan team in Lahore. Since then all Test playing nations have refused to tour Pakistan for security reasons and the PCB has been forced to host their "home" matches in the UAE.
Currently also the PCB is hosting Sri Lanka for a full series in the UAE.
"We prefer to hold the matches in the UAE because it is a cost friendly neutral venue for us and we have a large concentration of Asians, including Pakistanis in the emirate states," he said.
Ahmad admitted that the board's profits had dropped from the "home" series held at neutral venues since 2009.
"Before the World Cup in 2015 we have these three series (against Australia, New Zealand and Zimbabwe) and obviously we have been pleading with the other boards also to support us in these demanding times," Ahmad added.
Pakistan will play two Tests and three One-day Internationals against Australia, three Tests and five ODIs against New Zealand and two Tests and three One-dayers against Zimbabwe in a packed season.
"We are also planning to send our team in advance to Australia to prepare for the World Cup as they would have played all their cricket before the tournament in totally different conditions," he said.
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First Published: Dec 20 2013 | 10:30 AM IST

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