LAHORE: Pakistan and West Indies have agreed to defer this month’s proposed tour of the Caribbean side to the country citing the prevailing smog conditions in Lahore - the main venue for the matches, a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official told Dawn on Monday.

West Indies were scheduled to play three Twenty20 Internationals at the Gaddafi Stadium this month but the weather conditions have forced PCB to think again and find a better window to host the side which last visited Pakistan back in 2006.

Though the proposed series was scheduled to be held in November, but so far both the cricket boards could not decide any final dates for the series, despite discussing some possible dates.

The PCB official shrugged off any suggestions that the delay was being made due to security concerns and ensured that weather is the only factor in play.

“No there is no issue of security which is hindering the tour of West Indies, but weather has turned as a big rival of the proposed tour,” the official said.

“The International Cricket Council’s (ICC) report on the security situation in Pakistan is very much encouraging and security experts of many countries returned back with very positive minds, so, security is not issue but smog is — and it is a problem which cannot be solved humanly,” he said.

Rain could have fought the smog off, but reports from the Met department do not suggest anything such will happen and visibility issues, which have gripped Punjab’s capital since the last two weeks is expected to prevail for another month

Asked about Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations’ (FICA) resistance in allowing the West Indian cricketers to Pakistan, the official denied the perception, saying the security experts’ report was analyzed by all the cricket boards and there are no negative remarks.

It may be mentioned that due to security arrangements the cost of the tour of the visiting team to Lahore has been increased to manifold.

The PCB official said that around Rs 170 million was the cost of just one T20 match that Pakistan played against Sri Lanka in Lahore on Oct 29. He said approximately Rs 130 million was spent by the Punjab government from that total cost, rest of the amount was borne by the PCB.

President of Cricket West Indies Dave Cameron had assured the Caribbean sides tour to Lahore in his press conference in Lahore during the three-matches T20 series between Pakistan and the World XI in September.

According to the PCB, the Cricket West Indies was ready to send their national team, provided both the World XI and then the Sri Lankan cricket teams returned back after playing their series peacefully.

Published in Dawn, November 7th, 2017