Pakistan president Musharraf to urge Australia to tour

Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf is to urge the Australian authorities to send their team to Pakistan for a Test series in doubt because of security concerns.

"I have renewed hopes that Australia might still tour Pakistan in October for the Test series after the interest shown by the president in the tour," Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Tauqir Zia told on Thursday.

He said Musharraf had told him during a meeting with the Pakistan cricket team that he would personally intervene.

He quoted Musharraf as saying he would speak to the Australian Prime Minister and Australian High Commission officials to ask them to send the team to Pakistan in October.

The Australian cricket board has admitted it has security concerns for its players after a series of deadly bomb blasts in Karachi since May.

Leading Australian players including Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath have said they were unwilling to tour Pakistan in the present circumstances.

Pakistan has already been forced to shift the triangular one-day series involving Australia and New Zealand to Nairobi in August and September because of security concerns.

"Pakistan is in a difficult situation. But we don't want to play our home series at neutral venues and deprive our people of good cricket, which is why the president's assurance today has come as a boost to us," Zia said.

The Test series against Australia is in danger of being shifted to Bangladesh or Sri Lanka.

Zia said Musharraf gave the assurance to talk to Australian authorities while feting the Pakistan team in Islamabad to celebrate their recent one-day series win over Australia.

"The President told us that he would definitely use his good offices to have the series in Pakistan and the Board is pretty hopeful now," Zia said.

Also read:
- NZ cancels Pak tour after Karachi blast
- Australia considering playing Pakistan in Morocco
- Sharjah and Morocco possible neutral venues
- Aussies may host Pakistan if security fears persist - ICC

Mail Cricket Editor