KARACHI: The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has granted permission to Pakistan to play their Davis Cup Asia Oceania zone group two second round rubber against New Zealand at a neutral venue in Myanmar from April 5 to 7.

“We are very relieved after the ITF acceded to our request by allowing us to play the next tie at a neutral venue on grass courts,” the President of Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF), Dr Syed Kaleem Imam, told Dawn from Sudan.

It is pertinent to mention that this will be for the first time in recent years that Pakistan tennis team will play its Davis Cup home tie at a neutral venue similar to Pakistan cricket team which plays the home series away from home.

Foreign teams have refused to travel to Pakistan for the last couple of years owing to security concerns.

“The PTF has suggested Myanmar (grass courts) as a neutral venue which suits Pakistan after failing to get positive response from Malaysia,” he added.

The PTF chief added that Senator Syed Dilawar Abbas and Ehtisham-ul-Haq, father of tennis celebrity Aisam-ul-Haq, have played a key role in getting the nod for neutral venue.

According to Kaleem Imam, Pakistan will retain the same team that won the first-round tie against Sri Lanka at Colombo 3-2 last month. The team comprised Aisam-ul-Haq, Aqeel Khan, Yasir Khan and Mohammad Abid.

It may be mentioned that New Zealand thrashed Lebanon 5-0 in the first round at Auckland.

Opinion

Editorial

Digital growth
Updated 25 Apr, 2024

Digital growth

Democratising digital development will catalyse a rapid, if not immediate, improvement in human development indicators for the underserved segments of the Pakistani citizenry.
Nikah rights
25 Apr, 2024

Nikah rights

THE Supreme Court recently delivered a judgement championing the rights of women within a marriage. The ruling...
Campus crackdowns
25 Apr, 2024

Campus crackdowns

WHILE most Western governments have either been gladly facilitating Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza, or meekly...
Ties with Tehran
Updated 24 Apr, 2024

Ties with Tehran

Tomorrow, if ties between Washington and Beijing nosedive, and the US asks Pakistan to reconsider CPEC, will we comply?
Working together
24 Apr, 2024

Working together

PAKISTAN’S democracy seems adrift, and no one understands this better than our politicians. The system has gone...
Farmers’ anxiety
24 Apr, 2024

Farmers’ anxiety

WHEAT prices in Punjab have plummeted far below the minimum support price owing to a bumper harvest, reckless...