The International Cricket Council (ICC) is planning to send a World XI to Pakistan in September for a four-match Twenty20 series in Lahore, reported The Guardian. After successfully staging the Pakistan Super League final on in the city on Sunday, a four match-series, which will be called the Independence Cup, will look to reintroduce top-level cricket to after nearly eight years. Details players that will feature in the World XI are yet to be established.
To be held at the Gaddafi Stadium, it will mark the 70th anniversary of partition. Sri Lanka was the last the team to play in Pakistan way back in 2009. However, during the tour, the Sri Lanka team bus was attacked. Since then, Pakistan have played home internationals at neutral venues.
However, six overseas cricketers – including Kevin Pietersen, Luke Wright and Tymal Mills – withdrew from Sunday’s PSL final following the tournament’s switch from the United Arab Emirates and in light of two bomb blasts in Pakistan in the preceding weeks.
Giles Clarke, the president of the England and Wales Cricket Board, heads the ICC’s Pakistan Task Force that has been looking at ways to end a drought of international cricket.
“The desire is to give the cricket-starved Pakistani supporters the chance to see some of the world’s finest players in live action,” Clarke said. “The world of cricket needs to help Pakistan, who cannot continue to play their home fixtures overseas. The youth need inspiring, and the national teams need far more cricket played in familiar terrain. Furthermore, the terrorists cannot win and cricket must not give up on Pakistan.”
The World XI series overseas team will assemble in Dubai on September 17, before flying to Lahore for four matches on the 22nd, 23rd, 28th and 29th of September.
