PCB calls off its plans to host Afghanistan due to security

PCB was to host Afghanistan for three one-day internationals in Lahore and Karachi and also a four-day game against Pakistan A.

India World T20 Cricket West Indies Afghanistan

No major foreign Test-playing nation has toured Pakistan since terrorists attacked the Sri Lanka cricket in 2009. (Source: AP)

Pakistan has called off its plans to host the Afghanistan cricket team in April following last Sunday’s suicide bombing in the eastern city of Lahore which killed 70 people.

Pakistan Cricket Board spokesman, Amjad Bhatti, told The Associated Press today it was in negotiations with officials of the Afghanistan Cricket Board, “but now the tour is called off due to overall security situation in the country.”

The PCB was planning to host Afghanistan for three one-day internationals in Lahore and Karachi and also a four-day game against Pakistan A.

Story continues below this ad

Azizullah Fazly, the executive director of the Afghan cricket team, said Pakistan had been asked to guarantee the teams’ safety for the tour. He described the response of the Pakistan cricket authorities as “unacceptable”.

“We gave them another option, to hold the championship in Dubai, which would be good because many people from both countries live there,” he said. “But we haven’t yet received any response.”

No major foreign Test-playing nation has toured Pakistan since terrorists attacked the Sri Lanka cricket team bus in Lahore in 2009. Last year, Zimbabwe played a short one-day series in Lahore.

Stay updated with the latest sports news across Cricket, Football, Chess, and more. Catch all the action with real-time live cricket score updates and in-depth coverage of ongoing matches.