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31-Dec-2008 09:25:00 GMT
Srilanka tour of Pakistan, 2009

Sri Lanka Want New Schedule Tour Of Pakistan

Karachi: Pakistan's already troubled quest to organise some international cricket has run into further obstacles after it emerged that Sri Lanka's players would like to push forward the tour in order to get some rest. If agreed, however, there might emerge a likely clash with Pakistan's ODI tour to Bangladesh, currently scheduled for early March.

A senior Pakistan Cricket Board official revealed that Sri Lanka had informed PCB that they would like to tour the country from February 15 for a series featuring two Tests, three ODIs and a Twenty20 match.

Incidentally, the Sri Lankans had earlier agreed to play three Tests and five One-Day Internationals from January 20.

"The situation is tricky now, because if we go by Sri Lanka's revised itinerary then this series clashes with our confirmed tour of Bangladesh scheduled from March 3," the official said.

Pakistan had invited Sri Lanka to play the series after India cancelled their scheduled Future Tours Programme tour following the Mumbai terror attacks.

PCB chief operating officer Saleem Altaf said he would be speaking to the Bangladesh Cricket Board to change dates for the series against Pakistan.

"We would now have to tour Bangladesh from mid-March, instead of March 3, if we are to host the Sri Lankans. I am hopeful the Bangladesh board will cooperate with us but it all depends on their FTP commitments," Altaf said.

Doubts lingered over Sri Lanka's tour to Pakistan as the Arjuna Ranatunga-led interim committee, which had okayed the series, was sacked last week.

The Sri Lankans, however, decided to go ahead with the tour after getting security clearance from their foreign ministry.

Altaf said the series against Sri Lankan was important in many ways since Pakistan had not played a Test in 2008 and was short of organising international series at home.


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