Pakistan hopeful of hosting South Africa in March 2020

Pakistan are desperately trying to resume international cricket in full-flow in their backyard. The cricket heavyweights were exiled by the international teams for almost a decade in the wake of the attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in 2009. Following the attack, the teams refused to tour Pakistan due to security reasons.

However, there has been some progress for Pakistan in the last few years. Zimbabwe toured Pakistan in 2015 and became the first team to visit the country after the 2009 attack. In 2017 and 2018, West Indies and Sri Lanka toured the nation and did not face any issue with security. In 2017, Pakistan had also hosted a World XI side for a three-match T20 series.

In the last couple of years, Pakistan have also hosted some PSL games in the country and are planning to host the entire tournament. Recently, they welcomed Sri Lanka for three T20Is and as many ODIs with Karachi and Lahore hosting all the games. Pakistan are now trying to build on the recent series so that international cricket could finally resume on full-flow.

South Africa to tour Pakistan?

Wasim Khan, CEO of PCB, has revealed that the board is in talks with its South African counterpart. He further said that PCB is receiving a positive response from CSA. Wasim Khan said he is hopeful South Africa will tour their nation in March next year. Earlier this year, Men in Green had visited South Africa for a full-fledged series.

“We are in talks with Cricket South Africa and are getting a positive response from them and I hope South Africa will tour Pakistan in March next year,” Wasim Khan was quoted as saying by Pakistan journalist Saj Sadiq in his tweet.

Wasim.Khan "We are in talks with Cricket South Africa and are getting a positive response from them and I hope South Africa will tour Pakistan in March next year" #Cricket

— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) October 31, 2019

The Men in Green are currently in Australia for a three-match T20I and a two-match Test series. Following the series, they are set to take on Sri Lanka in a Test series. Pakistan are planning to host the games in their own backyard instead of UAE which has been their adopted home. The PCB recently announced Rawalpindi and Karachi as venues for two ICC Test Championship matches in December. If the series goes ahead as per schedule, it will be the first Test series in Pakistan in 10 years’ time.

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