KARACHI: The ball has started to roll as far as the return of international cricket to Pakistan is concerned.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), making great efforts for the revival of big time cricket in the country, now has the support of major stakeholders, the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA).

On the upcoming T20I series between Pakistan and the Windies, the executive director of FICA, Tony Irish said the security consultant was satisfied with the arrangement.

“FICA’s security consultant Reg Dickason is involved in the risk assessment. It was Cricket West Indies that needs to give the nod or otherwise after consulting its players association, WIPA,” Irish said

Irish added that as for the recent Pakistan Super League (PSL) matches in Lahore and Karachi, the risks were manageable.

“FICA has passed the security report, done by its consultant Dickason, to WIPA. The security consultant’s advice for the WI tour is that the security risks remain heightened but they are manageable with a robust security plan.

“This is similar to the advice for the PSL final,” Irish added.

On a question, the executive director emphasised that FICA’s role is to obtain advice from a security consultant and pass that on to the relevant quarters.

“When it comes to a national team tour, FICA’s role is to obtain the security advice for that players association and then it is up to that players association and the board to make the decision,” Irish concluded.

Published in Dawn, March 31st, 2018