Pakistan to switch Tri-Series to Kenya

Australia and New Zealand have agreed in principle to play Pakistan in a triangular one-day series to be staged in Kenya next month, a senior Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official said.

The Pakistan board announced last week it was considering shifting the series to Nairobi after Australia and New Zealand raised security concerns.

"We have also spoken to Kenyan cricket association officials in London and they appear enthusiastic about hosting the one-day series," board director Brigadier Munawar Rana said.

"However, a formal agreement with the Australian and New Zealand boards -- and also with the Kenyan cricket association -- is still to be signed.

"Basically, the series would be treated as our home series. But we will have to bear all essential expenses for hosting the series."

Pakistan has been forced to look for alternative neutral venues because of teams' reluctance to visit the country in the wake of the September 11 attacks.

Earlier this year, a two-Test Pakistan-West Indies series was switched to Sharjah while New Zealand cut short their tour in May after a bomb went off outside their hotel in Karachi.

The PCB says it has since suffered a revenue shortfall of some $20 million.

Kenya hosted the ICC 'mini World Cup' knockout tournament two years ago.

Pakistan have announced a tentative schedule of August 25 to September 7 for the triangular series. Australia are also due to travel to Pakistan in October for a Test series although several of their players, including Shane Warne, have said they do not want to go.

Rana added: "Ideally we would have liked to play the Tri-nation series in Pakistan, because it was supposed to be the showpiece event of our Test cricket Golden Jubilee year.

"It is obvious that our profits or revenues would definitely be reduced by having to play a home series at a neutral venue."

Pakistan celebrates the 50th anniversary of its team attaining Test status this winter.

Mail Cricket Editor