KARACHI: Pakistan Cricket Board is hoping that the smooth staging of the eight HBL Pakistan Super League matches in Karachi this month will pave the way for resumption of international cricket at home this year.

A top PCB official told Dawn News: “With the staging of successful and incident-free PSL matches in Karachi this month, we are very much hopeful that the foreign teams will resume full fledged cricket tours to Pakistan including the Test matches.”

“Pakistan is scheduled to host Sri Lanka in October and we are planning to host most of the matches in Pakistan from that series. Our main target is return of Test cricket in Pakistan after 10 long years,” he added.

Meanwhile PCB sources also revealed that it plans to propose ODI or T20 series with Bangladesh this year in Pakistan. “President of Bangladesh Cricket Board Nazmul Hasan has been invited by PCB to watch the PSL matches and the final on March 17,” said the PCB official. “PCB will ask BCB to plan a Bangladesh cricket team tour to Pakistan this year in any available slot. Besides, Bangaldesh women and youth teams are expected to visit Pakistan this year as well.”

Published in Dawn, March 12th, 2019