LAHORE: Chairman of the ICC Shashank Manohar, on the eve of the T20 series between World XI and Pakistan, has welcomed the return of top-level cricket to the country.

“This is a good day for world cricket as the PCB hosts a World XI in Lahore for three T20 International games. It has been a long and tough journey as the PCB, Pakistan players and fans have been starved of the opportunity to stage, play and watch international cricket in their own country. I am hopeful that today [Tuesday, the day of the first T20 match] marks the start of safe and steady return of international cricket to Pakistan,” said Manohar in a statement.

“The ability of Pakistan to play international cricket at home is crucial to long-term health of the game in Pakistan and one of the main reasons why the ICC established the Pakistan Task Force under the leadership of Giles Clarke to explore in partnership with the PCB, how we can get international cricket back to Pakistan safely and on a regular basis.

“I send both teams and the PCB the very best wishes from the whole cricket family for a competitive series that the passionate fans in Pakistan can enjoy. I sincerely hope that this week’s games mark the start of a steady flow of international cricket to this great cricket nation.”

Published in Dawn, September 12th, 2017