SYDNEY, March 18: Australia’s cricket tour of Pakistan scheduled for this year appears certain to go ahead barring further escalation of tensions within the country.

A delegation including representatives from the Australian Cricket Board and the Australian Cricketers Association visited Pakistan this month and is understood to have come away satisfied with security measures in place.

The Australian delegation — ACB cricket operations manager Richard Watson, the board’s security consultant Reg Dickason and ACA chief executive Tim May — was joined by New Zealand team manager Jeff Crowe and met officials from the Pakistan Cricket Board, the army and police.

They examined travel, accommodation and ground security arrangements in Faisalabad, Karachi, Multan, Lahore and Sheikhupura.

The assurances given to the delegates obviously impressed NZC which immediately announced it would play two Tests and three one-day internationals in Pakistan from next month.

May said he saw nothing that would prevent the tour from proceeding provided circumstances in Pakistan did not change dramatically over the next six months.

“It was a standard check we carry out on all proposed Test match venues before a tour,” May said.

“But we came out of it very, very confident in the level of protection that will be put in place around the Australian team in particular and the tour in general.”

May said he held greater concerns over the cluttered schedule awaiting Australia’s players over the next 14 months.

After the current tour of South Africa they are scheduled to play Test and/or one-day series in Zimbabwe, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia, South Africa and the West Indies by May, 2003.

The itinerary for Australia’s tour of Pakistan is yet to be finalised, but it is likely to feature in the tri-nation one-day series in Pakistan late August before the ICC Champions Trophy tournament in Sri Lanka during September.

Australia will then return to Pakistan for three Test matches in October.—PPI