LAHORE (Staff Report) – The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday said it is looking for options aside from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to host the upcoming home series against the West Indies, schedule for Seoptember and October.
The Board said the decision was being made due to financial considerations, revealing that Sri Lanka and South Africa are the top contenders for their neutral venue .
“We have been unable to make profits from our series held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)”, a top PCB official said.
“The UAE has started charging us too much therefore we have decided to shift our base from UAE to other countries,” he said, adding that the board had already lost millions of dollars due to the decision to host various home series’ in the UAE.
He said the issue is under discussion at the PCB. “We are also likely to talk to other cricket boards before making any final decision on the matter,” he said.
Pakistan has been forced to host its home series’ in the UAE ever since an attack on the visiting Sri Lankan team took place in Lahore in 2009. Following the attacks, the International Cricket Council (ICC) also stripped Pakistan of its hosting rights of World Cup 2011 matches.
Since 2009, Pakistan has only hosted limited over series’ on its territory against Afghanistan, Kenya and Zimbabwe.
The PCB also hosted its own 20-20 cricket league, the Pakistan Super League, in the UAE after international players refused to tour the country.
