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Pakistan to start hosting Test matches again, a decade after attack
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials on Saturday told the Associated Press that Pakistan is ready to host international cricket tournaments again after more than a decade of having no home Test matches.
In 2009 a deadly terrorist attack was carried out on visiting Sri Lanka’s team bus, which brought an immediate halt to matches being hosted in Pakistan.
Now however, Pakistan is ready to welcome major cricketing nations to their country, said Wasim Khan, chief executive of the Pakistan Cricket Board.
He said top teams, including South Africa, New Zealand, England and the West Indies are expected to play in Pakistan next year.
“We’re working hugely in terms of building relationships, nurturing those relationships with (other) cricket boards,” Khan, told The Associated Press.
South Africa is due to visit Pakistan in January to play a two-Test series which is part of the World Test Championship, followed by three Twenty20s.
According to the report New Zealand is penciled in for three ODIs and five Twenty20s in September, followed by two Twenty20s against England in Karachi. It will be England’s first tour to Pakistan since 2005.
The PCB also plans a home series against West Indies in December.
“We’re also in discussions with Cricket Australia. They’re due to be touring during the 2022 season, we’re looking at them coming for an extended period of time.” Khan said.
When Sri Lanka’s team bus was attacked in March 2009, the doors of international cricket remained shut on Pakistan until Zimbabwe became the first Test-playing nation to play limited-overs series, at Lahore in 2015.
Meanwhile, Khan said that he also wants to organize a limited-overs series against Afghanistan sometime next year.
This comes after Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, a former cricket captain for the country, visited Kabul and extended an invitation to Afghan national team this week.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US special representative for Afghanistan, has questioned Pakistan’s commitment to the welfare of the Afghan people, citing Islamabad’s policies over the past three decades.
Khalilzad said in a post on X that Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif advocated for the rights of Afghan women during his speech at the UN General Assembly on Friday.
Sharif said: “Fundamental rights of the Afghan people — especially women and girls — must be respected.”
Responding to the remarks, Khalilzad said Pakistan’s policies over the past 30 years raise questions about Sharif’s commitment to Afghan welfare.
He cited Pakistan’s support for militant groups against US forces and what he described as the poor treatment of Afghan refugees as examples.
Khalilzad also said Afghanistan and Pakistan need and should have much better relations, adding that “a reset is necessary.”
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met with the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Rabab Fatima, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X that Misri underscored the need to keep addressing the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people as a priority.
Misri also appreciated the role of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and reaffirmed India’s continued cooperation with the United Nations on Afghanistan.
The meeting comes as Afghanistan continues to face humanitarian and economic challenges, with international agencies warning of significant needs among the Afghan population.
Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi has called for pragmatic and coordinated international engagement with Afghanistan, saying the country’s long-term stability is closely linked to the security and sustainable development of Central Asia.
Speaking during the general debate of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday, Tileuberdi said humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan remains essential but alone cannot break the cycle of poverty, displacement and dependency.
He said Kazakhstan supports a “pragmatic, coordinated and step-by-step” approach to international engagement with Afghanistan, with the United Nations playing a central role.
Tileuberdi also said Kazakhstan is working with the UN to operationalize the United Nations Regional Centre for the Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty.
He said the success of the centre should be measured by the results and assistance it delivers to the region.
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