ICC chairman, chief executive to visit Pakistan next week

Published May 28, 2023
International Cricket Council Chairman Greg Barclay and Chief Executive Geoff Allardice. — Photo courtesy ICC
International Cricket Council Chairman Greg Barclay and Chief Executive Geoff Allardice. — Photo courtesy ICC

International Cricket Council (ICC) Chairman Greg Barclay and Chief Executive Geoff Allardice are set to visit Pakistan on May 30 (Tuesday) for a two-day visit.

According to a press release issued by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), this will be Barclay’s first visit to Pakistan. He will also be the first ICC chairman to tour the country since former president Ray Mali’s visit in 2008.

“This will be the first time since October 2004 when both the top two ICC officials will together visit the Pakistan cricket headquarters,” the press release said, adding that Allardice has regularly visited the country — first as the ICC general manager (cricket) and then as the ICC chief executive.

The duo will arrive in Lahore on Tuesday morning and meet PCB Management Committee Chair Najam Sethi, PCB Chief Operating Officer Barrister Salman Naseer, and other board officials.

The visit comes amid tensions between Pakistan and India on the Asia Cup and World Cup.

Bilateral cricket has been a casualty of the soured political relations between India and Pakistan over the last decade and the neighbouring countries now play each other only in multi-team events in neutral venues.

India, citing safety concerns, have ruled out travelling to Pakistan for the Asia Cup in September and the PCB has offered to let them play their matches in the United Arab Emirates in what has been dubbed a “hybrid model”.

Meanwhile, Sethi has said there is a “very real possibility” that Pakistan will boycott this year’s World Cup if they lose hosting rights to the Asia Cup.

Opinion

Editorial

Defining extremism
Updated 18 Mar, 2024

Defining extremism

Redefining extremism may well be the first step to clamping down on advocacy for Palestine.
Climate in focus
18 Mar, 2024

Climate in focus

IN a welcome order by the Supreme Court, the new government has been tasked with providing a report on actions taken...
Growing rabies concern
18 Mar, 2024

Growing rabies concern

DOG-BITE is an old problem in Pakistan. Amid a surfeit of public health challenges, rabies now seems poised to ...
Provincial share
Updated 17 Mar, 2024

Provincial share

PPP has aptly advised Centre to worry about improving its tax collection rather than eying provinces’ share of tax revenues.
X-communication
17 Mar, 2024

X-communication

IT has now been a month since Pakistani authorities decided that the country must be cut off from one of the...
Stateless humanity
17 Mar, 2024

Stateless humanity

THE endless hostility between India and Pakistan has reduced prisoners to mere statistics. Although the two ...