PCB Chairman Najam Sethi optimistic of restoring cricket in Pakistan within two years

The Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Najam Sethi, has recently oozed confidence about the team successfully hosting other international games in the future. Cricket world had deserted Pakistan ever since the infamous attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in the year 2009. However, last year, a World XI team toured Pakistan for a T20I series. Also, Lahore hosted a T20I fixture between Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

The base for all this was set with the finals of the PSL 2017 being held in Lahore. And this year, more matches are set to take place in Pakistan. Amidst this backdrop, Najam Sethi expressed his opinion of international cricket being restored in Pakistan soon. Sethi, as per the quotes in Geo.tv, believes that the getting the stadiums ready is the only concern at the moment.

“If we prepare our stadiums, we will be able to host matches with time. I believe international cricket will be fully restored in Pakistan within two years, at most,” PCB chief Najam Sethi quoted.

Aiming the ICC World Cup 2019

Recently, the Pakistani team registered an emphatic 2-1 win over New Zealand in the T20I series. The win saw them surge to the top of the ICC T20I Team rankings. Najam Sethi credited the PSL for getting the players ready in the shortest format of the game. He added that the next target is to build sides for the ODIs and the Tests. Furthermore, he quipped that the target is the ICC World Cup 2019. He affirmed that the inconsistency of the team will surely fade away with time.

“The PSL has prepared us for T20s. Now we have to prepare for ODIs and Tests. That’s why we are building a young team. It takes time for young players to become stars. Now our focus in on the 2019 World Cup, and we are getting ready for it. You will see that the [inconsistency] will go away soon,” remarked Sethi.

On spot fixing

When asked to comment on the spot fixing controversies, Najam Sethi expressed that the board’s stance on this issue is very severe. Over the years, the spot fixing cases have plagued the Pakistan cricket. Also, the PSL 2017 was marred by this unwanted scandal in the very first week of the tournament. Sethi noted that there is zero tolerance when it comes to this issue.

“There is no room for forgiveness. We are monitoring with strict vigilance. There is absolutely zero tolerance,” he firmly noted.

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