February 18, 2008	Monday	Safar 10, 1429

COLOMBO, Feb 17: Pakistan are looking to host Sri Lanka if Australia pull out of their scheduled tour of the violence-marred country next month, a report said on Sunday.

A three-member Pakistan Cricket Board delegation visited Colombo to ask for Sri Lanka’s consent to tour Pakistan and the matter was under consideration, privately-run The Nation newspaper said.

It quoted top Sri Lanka Cricket sources as saying that Sri Lanka had been asked to play either a five-match one-day series or a three-match Test series in Pakistan.

The Sri Lankans, currently touring Australia, are slated to visit the West Indies in April-May before a home series against India in July.

Australia are due to tour Pakistan for three Tests, five One-day Internationals and a Twenty20 match in March-April.

But Australian cricket officials have told their Pakistani counterparts that they have received security advice against touring Pakistan because of political unrest and violence.

Australia have not toured Pakistan since 1998. They forced Pakistan to play at neutral venues in Sri Lanka and Sharjah in 2002, a year after the 9/11 attacks on the United States sparked security fears in South Asia.

Pakistan have ruled out playing the latest series at neutral venues or relocating it to Australia.—AFP