LAHORE, Feb 6: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has finalised the venues for hosting world champions Australia during their proposed tour of March-April.

PCB’s Director Cricket Operations Zakir Khan said on Wednesday that Karachi, Multan, Lahore and Faisalabad have been chosen to hold the 10 matches against Ricky Ponting’s Aussies as all these grounds are equipped with the best facilities.

The renovation at the Pindi Stadium, according to Zakir, is still in progress so it has been ruled out at the moment. The tour, which is currently in the doldrums, now awaits final approval from a Cricket Australia (CA) security delegation from Down Under which would be travelling to Pakistan after the country’s general elections on Feb 18.

The tourists are to play five One-day Internationals and three Tests, besides a Twenty-20 game and a side match.

When asked how the PCB planned to organise 10 matches at four stadia, Zakir said their priority was to provide best available facilities to the visitors and the four venues suited the purpose adequately.

In choosing the four top cities for the matches, PCB is obviously mindful of the security concerns expressed by foreign teams who remain apprehensive about playing in cities like Peshawar or Rawalpindi which have experienced a lot of turmoil recently due to frequent bomb blasts and unrest among the tribal areas.

The recent explosion in Pindi’s Raja Bazaar sadly coincided with the efforts of PCB chairman Dr Nasim Ashraf who has flown to Dubai to convince Cricket Australia delegates about the Australia tour.

Karachi too, in the past, has faced a lot of problems in recent years and has frequently been avoided by prominent teams due to security reasons. South Africa is the only team to have played a match there during their last tour.

Meanwhile, earlier this week, the PCB also began renovation work at the Gaddafi Stadium with plans of shifting the media gallery to the opposite side. However, the work is not expected to be completed before the arrival of the Australians.

Reuters adds: “Australia indicated they have an open mind on the tour and they very much want to play in Pakistan but would take a final decision after the elections on Feb 18,” the PCB Chairman Dr Nasim Ashraf said.

“We reaffirmed and reassured Cricket Australia that Pakistan, as far as cricket is concerned, has a very safe and secure environment.

“We told them they can send their security team and based upon that their tour should go ahead as planned,” he added.

The 2002 series between the two countries was played at neutral venues.