Test cricket may return to Pakistan later this year – report

Sri Lanka could be open to playing at least one Test in the country, after a security delegation visited Lahore and Karachi and gave SLC "very positive feedback".

If all goes according to plan, fans in Pakistan can witness Test cricket for the first time since the Lahore attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in 2009, later this year.

The Sri Lanka-Pakistan series, which will be the Pakistan’s first of the World Test Championship was earlier supposed to be played at a neutral venue. However, according to a report in ESPNCricinfo on Saturday, Sri Lanka could be open to playing at least one Test in the country, after a security delegation headed by Mohan de Silva visited Lahore and Karachi and gave SLC “very positive feedback”.

“The feedback we got from the security team was very positive,” SLC CEO Ashley de Silva said.

“We’ll be talking to the PCB about some alternatives before we arrive at a decision. The government will be consulted as well.”

Sri Lanka will have to return the favour to Pakistan, who were the first board to send a team – Pakistan U19 side – after the island country was terrorised on by the April 21 bombings.

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The biggest concern for Sri Lanka now would be to obtain the players’ consent. The Sri Lankan team that played one T20I in October 2017 at Lahore was without any prominent names.

Pakistan, who have played hosts to Zimbabwe (2015), World XI (2017), Sri Lanka (2017) and West Indies (2018) since the 2009 Lahore attacks, are keen to bring Test cricket back home.

In the recent MCC World Committee meeting, the PCB managing director Wasim Khan presented the country’s case and emphasised the importance of bringing international cricket back to Pakistan.

“It was a very positive meeting with the MCC,” Wasim was quoted as saying in the report.

“Shane Warne, Kumar Sangakkara and Mike Gatting, the chair of the committee, were present there. They wanted to me to present on the current security in the country, along with what impact playing no international cricket here has had, and what can be done to restore it.

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“I am very, very confident that we will have an MCC team touring us in the near future. But there are some matters related to security that need to be covered before they send their team. We will work very closely with the MCC to make sure that the tour happens.”

The MCC too expressed its support to see the resumption of tours to the nation after 10 years and showed interest in sending a touring team of its own, subject to security clearances.