Published: Aug 11, 2013, 02:41 AM (IST)
Edited: Aug 11, 2013, 02:41 AM (IST)
In 2009, the Sri Lankan team’s bus was attacked in Lahore and since then no team has toured Pakistan. The team was then airlifted by a helicopter and taken to an Air Force base for a special flight back to Sri Lanka © AFP
Aug 11, 2013
Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Shahryar Khan has said that Pakistan is still not safe to host international cricket. In 2009, a bus carrying Sri Lankan cricketers was attacked in Lahore and since then no international team has visited the country.
Speaking to Times of India, Khan said, “I can’t see any international cricket team coming to Pakistan in the foreseeable future.”
The former PCB Chairman also illustrated that while cricket unites the people of Pakistan, there are concerns over security in the country. He said, “From a banker to a camel cart rider, Pakistanis, like Indians, are obsessed with the game. However, security threat to international teams is a reality. If the Sri Lankan cricket team can be attacked, every other team is vulnerable.”
Khan also threw light upon why cricket is important to Pakistan. He said, “It is of prime importance that cricket is revived in Pakistan. Nothing unites people as much as cricket, not even father of the nation Jinnah.”
However, Khan believes that the PCB has to find a way to solve the problem and the first step in that regard could be hosting age group tournaments.
Earlier, Khan had also said that cricket could bring peace between India and Pakistan.
