PCB chairman Shahryar Khan invites ICC chairman Shashank Manohar to Lahore

The International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman Shashank Manohar is likely to make a visit to Lahore next month after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shahryar Khan invited him to visit the country. Despite there being no confirmation about the proposed meeting, Manohar will probably fly to Lahore in August and discuss the final dates for the World XI tour to Pakistan.

The former president of the BCCI and the PCB is also likely to bring up the matter of India’s bilateral series with Pakistan. The Pakistani board has been distraught with the BCCI since the latter did not abide by the mutual MoU signed by the two parties. India last played Pakistan in a 3-match ODI series in January 2012.

“Manohar said he will look into the invitation and try to make it. But nothing is confirmed yet,” Khan said. The 83-year-old will be given a farewell reception, and sources close to Khan said he had invited Manohar, to formally attend the reception.

Meanwhile, the PCB is expected to select its new head at the Governing Board meeting later this month after Shahryar completes his term in mid-August.

Why invite Shashank Manohar?

“The idea behind inviting Manohar to Lahore is to also finalise the World XI’s tour to Pakistan in September as the ICC has shown its support for the tour,” the source told PTI.

The current head of the PCB executive committee Najam Sethi is expected to succeed Khan. He said that ICC will also decide the captain of World XI team that is scheduled to play in Lahore, in an effort to bring back international cricket to Pakistan.

“We see the World XI tour as the beginning of good times for Pakistan cricket and that is why we are giving it so much importance,” Sethi said.

Regarding Sri Lanka’s proposed tour to Pakistan for a series, Khan said that PCB is trying to convince SLC to send the team to Lahore for T20 matches.

“We had invited Ireland in recent times but they have asked for fees to come to Pakistan and right now we are not in a position to afford such expenses,” Khan concluded.