Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) president Kumar Sangakkara has urged England and Australia to tour Pakistan, suggesting it will facilitate regular international cricket in the country.
Australia are among the cricketing nations to have shunned Pakistan since the 2009 attack on a bus carrying the Sri Lanka team in Lahore in which six players were injured and eight Pakistanis, including six policemen, were killed.
Batting great Sangakkara, who was on the bus attacked by terrorists in 2009, returned to Pakistan with an MCC team in February this year.
Australia haven’t toured Pakistan since 1998 because of security apprehensions.
(AP Photo/Rui Vieira)
“It doesn’t matter, an Asian side going there or a secondary side in terms of world prominence, when it comes to having security measures in place,” Sangakkara told The Cricket Show on Sky Sports Cricket.
“I think it’s important that England or Australia, even South Africa, make up their minds to actually tour when security is assured and they have those discussions. The MCC tour will be a precursor to that.”
Star all-rounder Shane Watson headlines the list of Australians to have played Pakistan Super League matches in Pakistan.
Last December, Pakistan played their first Test on home soil since 2009.
Bangladesh split their recent tour in three parts, although the final leg was called off in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sangakkara, who scored more than 28,000 international runs for Sri Lanka, agreed it was too early for any extended tour of Pakistan.
“I don’t think you are ever going to see in the near future a five-Test match series coupled with a one-day series played back to back,” said the former Sri Lanka captain.
“It’s not exactly the right time for extended tours, but I’m sure that with the right communication and the measures in place that players can go back and play some great quality cricket, have a great time and bring cricket back to Pakistan.”
© AAP
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