SYDNEY: Dave Richardson admitted it’s difficult to predict when international cricket will return to Pakistan.

But the International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive reckoned that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) needs to keep strengthening its domestic structure so it doesn’t face a problem when international cricket comes back to the country.

“I don’t think the ICC can solve this [Pakistan’s security] problem,” Richardson said in an exclusive interview on the sidelines of the semi-final between Australia and India at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday. “The ICC is always trying to support Pakistan cricket where it can.

“The security issue is the biggest challenge to be solved. The only worth support I can extend that I came from a country where they did not play international cricket for 30 years,” added the former South African wicket-keeper.

Commenting on ICC’s role in persuading foreign teams to Pakistan, Richardson said cricket’s governing body was working with the PCB for that.

“The PCB should persuade U-19 teams to tour Pakistan,” he said. “They can ask individual teams and players about their concerns. I think the PCB is doing good job to persuade junior team and full member teams to come to Pakistan and play under controlled circumstances.”

Regarding the ICC Task Force formed for Pakistan, Richardson said the PCB needs to improve its domestic infrastructure to keep cricket alive in the country.

“If Pakistan continue to concentrate on their domestic structure and there are good coaching programmes in place you can still develop young players and keep the game alive,” he stressed. “So when international cricket returns, they shouldn’t feel they have lost much ground.”

Richardson admitted the PCB has done a reasonable job in that regard. “People shouldn’t be too pessimistic about Pakistan cricket ... their bowling attack was best at the World Cup,” he said.

He said the Pakistan team was going through a transitional phase with the likes of Shahid Afridi and Misbah-ul-Haq retiring from One-day International cricket and Younis Khan also nearing the twilight of his career.

“Pakistan have to bring in youngsters who can take over from them. At some stages, they [youngsters] have shown glimpses of talent and if they maintain steady improvement, I see no reason why Pakistan can’t be a force to be reckoned with.”

Published in Dawn, March 27th, 2015

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