Hashim Amla hopes World XI tour will restore cricket to Pakistan

International cricket is set to return to Pakistan with the Independence Cup T20I series that is to be played between the World XI side and Pakistan. The star-studded World XI boasts of players like Paul Collingwood, Faf du Plessis and Darren Sammy among many others. Speaking to the media in Dubai ahead of the much-awaited series, present-day Protean batting genius, Hashim Amla expressed hopes of the tour helping Pakistan to reinstate itself as a venue for international cricket.

Pakistan has been deprived of any major international cricketing tours since the unfortunate attack on the Sri Lankan team bus back in 2009. After the team, led by Sarfraz Ahmed, won the Champions Trophy in 2017, things have taken a turn for the better. With the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) backing, the World XI tour comprising 3 T20Is has become a reality.

Hashim Amla has high hopes from the World XI Tour

Amla, who’s one of the star attractions of the World XI side exuded positive vibes ahead of the tour, as he spoke to the media in Dubai. He lauded the Pakistan side, especially in the shorter format. “We have played against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy and they are a good team as well as Champions Trophy winners. They have always been a formidable team in T20s so it will be very exciting and everybody will enjoy the competition and the atmosphere,” he said.

When asked if Imran Tahir had been instrumental in persuading the Protean players into taking part in the tournament, the 34-year-old batsman clarified, “Imran Tahir did not have any role in convincing us; once we had the go ahead from the ICC then it did not take much convincing.” He also appreciated the crowd support in the nation by saying, “Pakistan supporters are fantastic – they support us as well and its like a home game playing against them. The crowds were good and the atmosphere was good so happy to be going there again.”

Amla stressed on bringing the game back to Pakistan. “For all the players its about helping Pakistan get international cricket back in their country which is also important for world cricket. The hope is that slowly and safely we will restore international cricket to Pakistan,” stated the right-hander.

Speaking about what he expected from the series and his own perception of T20 cricket, Amla went on to say, “We have a very good team and so are Pakistan so this will be a very closely contested series. In this type of squad (World XI)the guys know what is expected of them (in response to is one training session enough to gel). For me personally this series also forms part of the preparation for the home series against Bangladesh. When T20s were first introduced I didn’t enjoy it but over a period of time I have found my way around it and enjoy it more. One of the difficulties was that before T20s were just a few but now there are more. I had good memories of that Test series (last visit to Pakistan) and we managed to win that series.”