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| September 22, 2003 | Monday | Rajab 24, 1424 |
Pakistan still hope to salvage SA tour
KARACHI, Sept 21: Pakistan cricket authorities have not lost hope of salvaging their home series against South Africa after offering to shift matches from Karachi and Peshawar.
The United Cricket Board (UCB) of South Africa cancelled the tour due to start on Monday after a bomb blast in Karachi on Friday.
“We are hopeful that the South African cricket board will reverse its decision of cancelling the tour after our offer of a change in venues other than Karachi and Peshawar,” a PCB spokesman said on Sunday.
The spokesman said the Board had asked the South Africans to delay the start of their tour by a week and cancel a three-day tour match in Lahore.
“They can delay the start of the tour by one week,” he said.
“We hope that something positive will come out soon and the South African cricket officials would reverse their decision soon in the best interests of the game.”
The South Africans had asked the Pakistan board to shift their matches from Karachi and Peshawar and sent a security delegation to assess the security arrangements for their team in these cities.
But even though there were no casualties from the bomb blast in a office building in Karachi, South Africa decided on Saturday to pull out.
Pakistani media have reacted strongly to the decision.
A leading English newspaper Dawn criticised UCB president Ray Mali for pulling out of the tour to Pakistan.
“Perhaps the UCB chief should have first assessed the situation in his own country both now and then, before speaking his mind on such a sensitive issue,” the paper said.
Another daily The News said that South Africa’s decision was hasty and unprovoked and had left the Pakistan cricket community and people in a state of shock.
On Saturday, the match referee for the recent Pakistan-Bangladesh series, Mike Procter, told a news conference he was disappointed at the decision.
“The security and arrangements in this series were excellent and I have noticed no change in the situation since I arrived in Karachi last night,” he said.—Reuters
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