LAHORE: Batting maestro Zaheer Abbas on Friday praised the role of the Sri Lankan cricket board in sending its team to Pakistan for the limited-over series which he said will help the country restore international cricket.

“The Sri Lankan board [SLC] has done a tremendous job by sending its team to Pakistan for supplementing Pakistan Cricket Board’s ongoing efforts to bring back international cricket. Sri Lankan board’s role will always be remembered in Pakistan cricket history,” Zaheer told APP here on Friday on the eve of the first T20 International between Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka these days are touring Pakistan for three ODIs and as many T20 Internationals. After the ODI series ended in Karachi last Wednesday, the action now shifts to Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium for the T20 games, the game’s slam-bang format.

Zaheer, a former Pakistan captain and ex-president of the ICC, said without all-out support of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) it was not possible to stage the series in Karachi and Lahore.

“The limited-over series [comprising ODIs and of T20s] has its own significance. It is another way forward to have international cricket in Pakistan and it will help in bringing back more international cricket in near future,” Zaheer, a 78-Test veteran, added.

The former iconic batsman said the Sri Lankan team’s tour has proved that they are all-time friends of Pakistan and they value PCB’s efforts for the resumption of international cricket in the terrorism-struck country.He said it was unfortunate that Pakistan was deprived of international cricket during past 10 years, its cricket arenas wore a deserted look and cricket suffered a lot.

“With international cricket being played in Pakistan a new era of cricket has begun in the country which is evident from the ongoing tour of the Sri Lankan team which is progressing successfully. This series is a unique opportunity for Pakistan fans to enjoy three back-to-back T20 Internationals at home after the ODI series successfully staged in Karachi,” Zaheer stated.

Published in Dawn, October 5th, 2019