October 24, 2007	Wednesday	Shawwal 11, 1428

FAISALABAD, Oct 23: The top brass of the Pakistan Cricket Board, after a marathon three-hour meeting on Tuesday, managed to convince the South African team management to have another look at the security arrangements in Karachi before taking a final decision on shifting of the match from the metropolis, scheduled for Oct 29.

The PCB chairman, Dr Nasim Ashraf who flew in from Islamabad specially to attend this crucial meeting here, was flanked by Director Cricket Operations Zakir Khan and Director Media Dr Ahsan Hameed at the important meeting.

Dr Ashraf, looking anxious for a positive outcome of the sensitive meeting and using his good offices in the matter, reassured the visitors of having a smooth stay and a problem-free game in Karachi.

“A security official, who accompanies the Proteas on this tour, will be leaving for Karachi today (Tuesday) to review the arrangements and the fate of the final ODI will be decided by Wednesday afternoon after his report is received,” Dr Ahsan told reporters after the meeting.

The South Africans are wary of the security threat in the metropolis following two successive bomb blasts during a political rally last week that killed 140 people and left over 400 injured.

Meanwhile, the manager of South African team Logal Naidoo has said that Karachi is a good venue for cricket and his team is ready to play there but only after getting the final feed back from their own security officials and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

Talking to reporters here on Tuesday, Naidoo said the team had some reservations over playing in Karachi and they would wait till the last minute about a positive feed back from all the sides before taking a decision.