Intikhab Alam speaking exclusively to PakPassion.net from Lahore was upbeat about the series against Australia going ahead albeit at an alternative and yet to be finalised venue.

By Saj Sadiq (15th May, 2012)

 

With the recent news that the Pakistan-Australia series which was scheduled to comprise five one-day internationals and three T20Is to help the sides prepare for the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka now cancelled by Sri Lanka cricket, due to a fixture clash with the Sri Lankan Premier League, the Pakistan Cricket Board finds itself in an uncomfortable and all too familiar predicament.

Top level international cricket returning to Pakistan still seems some way off and the PCB has had to go “back to the drawing board” after the decision by Sri Lanka Cricket to cancel the Pakistan Cricket Board’s plans to host Australia, in the neutral venue of Sri Lanka.

However Director of Game Development at the PCB Intikhab Alam speaking exclusively to PakPassion.net from Lahore was upbeat about the series against Australia going ahead albeit at an alternative and yet to be finalised venue.

“Yes it’s disappointing to see the series against Australia not going ahead in Sri Lanka and it would have provided ideal practice for the Pakistan team ahead of the Twenty20 World Cup in Sri Lanka, but it’s out of our hands and we have two or three alternatives to Sri Lanka in mind" stated Alam.

Alam who has served the Pakistan Cricket Board in a number of roles over the years refuted the suggestion that the series of 50 over and 20 over matches against Australia may have to be cancelled due to a lack of possible alternative venues.

“There are absolutely no plans to cancel the series against Australia and the Pakistan Cricket Board is actively working on several options that can serve as an alternative to Sri Lanka. We should have more concrete details in a week or so after we have looked at the various options available to us in further detail” added Alam.

Alam further added that “The Pakistan Cricket Board will speak with Cricket Australia soon about an alternative to Sri Lanka once our research into possible other venues is complete. We are looking forward to playing against Australia and hope that it will be a competitive series wherever it is played.”