PCB hopeful of hosting South Africa and Bangladesh in 2018

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is jubilant after successfully hosting Sri Lanka in Lahore on Sunday for the final T20 International of the series. Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore hosted the match and it was buzzing with the excitement of the spectators who were experiencing only their fourth international game in the country since 2009. However, PCB is hopeful of hosting South Africa and Bangladesh in 2018 and the chairman Najam Sethi is confident about it.

International Cricket Council (ICC) and PCB have made conscious efforts this year to revive international cricket in Pakistan. They arranged a World XI series who played 3 T20 matches across 7 days and now Sri Lanka became the first official major international team to visit the country. The security has been magnificent according to the players who played and the board also has left no stone unturned in making the event a big success.

Ireland and Afghanistan are also ready

PCB chairman Najam Sethi was confident that he could convince the cricket boards of South Africa and Bangladesh to tour Pakistan next year. “It is a gradual process to get international cricket back to Pakistan. The tour by the Sri Lankans even for that one match has been a big success for us. But we need to now keep pushing this process forward,” he said about Sri Lanka’s visit to the country.

He also informed that Afghanistan and Ireland are ready to travel to the country. “We have Ireland and Afghanistan, who are ready to come over. But we also want South Africa or Bangladesh in Pakistan next year,” Sethi added. Pakistan hosted Sri Lanka almost after eight years and seven months of the terrorist attack on the team bus of the same nation. But this time around the security was extremely tight and the match was played without any hindrances.

Sethi also believed that the real challenge for the board now will be to stage the match at other venues apart from Lahore. He said that he would like to see the final of the third edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL) in Karachi and the play-off matches in Lahore. Pakistan is hosting Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Emerging Nations Cup in April next year and the 69-year-old was hopeful of the Indian team visiting the country. “We will guarantee them the best security but even if they don’t agree to send their team the tournament will be held at different venues in Pakistan,” he concluded.