By Muhammad Asif Khan
Karachi: While counting multiple contributing factors, the former chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Shaharyar Khan has put the Pakistan Super League (PSL) final, in Lahore, at the top of the ladder, as the turning point in materialising the World XI trip to Pakistan.
“It was an untiringly long effort. Initially Kenya and then Afghanistan and Zimbabwe toured Pakistan which transmitted the good feel about Pakistan across the world however the PSL final in Lahore turned out to be the stepping stone in this regard”, Shaharyar Khan told this correspondent.
“Security managers from Australia, England, West Indies and Sri Lanka were also invited to Lahore and they all gave positive feedback, about the security arrangements, to concerned quarters”, the former PCB chairman added
The recently retired chairman of the PCB added that in view of the successful PSL final, in Lahore, the PCB urged the ICC for meaningful measures towards the revival of international cricketing activities in Pakistan.
“We convinced Giles Clarke, the head of the ICC’s Pakistan Task team, to assemble a multinational outfit which was initially dubbed as the Commonwealth XI and is now called the World XI”, Shaharyar Khan said
Shaharyar Khan asserted that the full-scale restoration, of international events in Pakistan, could still take at least a couple of years. “The World XI series is very important in gradually opening doors of international cricket on Pakistan.
It will not happen overnight but gradually things will improve. The complete restoration could take two to three years”, the former PCB chairman opined
Shaharyar Khan completed his three-year tenure as PCB chairman in August this year, his second as the PCB chief. He had one stint in the mid 2000s as well.
The World XI, under South Africa’s Faf du Plisses, are scheduled to arrive in Lahore on September 11 to play three T20I games, against Pakistan, on September 12th , 13th & 15th.