LAHORE: While terming his team’s visit to Lahore enjoyable by all means, Marylebone Cricket Club president Kumar Sangakkara on Wednesday said the decision to give an official feedback to other cricket boards will be taken according to the MCC policy.

The Sangakkara-led MCC squad played four limited-overs matches against different teams during their visit to Lahore from Feb 12 to 19. They won their T20 matches against PSL franchises Lahore Qalandars and Multan Sultans while losing the games against Pakistan Shaheens (50-over match) and Northern, Pakistan’s T20 champions.

“We have had wonderful time [in Lahore], the security has been exceptional and the cricket was highly enjoyable, particularly at the Aitchison College ground,” the 42-year-old Sangakkara said in an exclusive talk with Dawn.

When asked if the MCC would give its feedback of their Lahore visit to other cricket boards in order to help the country convince foreign teams to come and play in Pakistan, the former Sri Lankan captain said all would be decided in accordance with the official policy.

“No, that will be decided according to the policy how we can move officially. But for us it is not the matter of teaching other cricket board heads. At the end it will be a decision to be taken by the country, their players [whether to play in Pakistan],” the left-handed Sangakkara, who retired from international cricket in 2015, said.

“We have had a wonderful tour here, making sure that the message has been conveyed across the world of cricket through personal communication with the people, official statements and interviews,” he said.

“And as you know the players are also going back [to their respective countries] they must be talking about their wonderful and safe stay here and it is all part to bring back international cricket to Pakistan,” he continued.

“Our [Lahore] visit is a great [success]; all the players are extremely happy and now as we are ending the tour, I must say the hospitality was outstanding and people were so warm and loving.

Sangakkara, a veteran of 134 Tests and 404 ODIs, added, “The security has been exceptional and we enjoyed our cricket matches at the wonderful venue of Aithcison College, as visiting that historical place was a great part of the tour.

“We also visited historical Lahore Fort where we watched a great history, great contemporary art work, learned about the past rulers, and all was a great experience for the entire party.”

He praised fans as well as the security personnel, who he said handled the crowd very well at the Gaddafi Stadium in the match against Lahore Qalandars.

Responding to a question about Pakistan’s young talented cricketers against whom the MCC played on the tour, Sangakkara said there were some among them who would serve the country.

“Pakistan has always been blessed with talented cricketers produced by the local system and this time some exciting cricketers are in the offing too, who will serve the country in the near future,” he said.

About losing two matches on their visit to Lahore, Sangakkara said though it caused a little disappointment, MCC were studded with competitive cricketers who enjoyed the visit.

“Winning or losing [on this tour], however, is not of great significance, the entire experience [of the tour] was much more important as it has many other larger prospects. Yes had we won [all matches] that would have been good but now it is also even better, but overall the players enjoyed cricket in Lahore under very pleasant weather,” he said.

To a question, Sangakkara said as MCC president he was also playing matches and it was giving him great opportunity to remain in contact with cricketers world over, something which he emphasised was keeping him updated.

“As a player it is nice to be MCC president. It enables me to continue to play with passion I have for this game and it also connects me with other cricketers across the world besides keeping me updated about cricket-related affairs,” Sangakkara concluded.

Published in Dawn, February 20th, 2020