Pakistan stay upbeat over Australia tour

Pakistan cricket chiefs hope that New Zealand's satisfaction with the security surrounding their recent ill-fated tour will convince Australia not to cancel their trip later in the year.

The Pakistan Cricket Board said on Tuesday it had received a letter from New Zealand cricket chief executive Martin Snedden, saying he was happy with the security provided and making it clear he did not think his players were targeted by a suicide bomber.

"We appreciate the gesture of New Zealand cricket to highlight they had no problems with security on the recent tour," PCB Director Brigadier Munawwar Rana told Reuters.

"It is a positive development and will help us convince the Australian Cricket Board they can tour later this year and we can take care of their security."

New Zealand aborted their tour on May 8 before the second Test against Pakistan at Karachi after a suicide bomber killed 14 people just outside the team hotel.

Snedden's letter, released by the PCB, said: "The board and management and members of the New Zealand team are of the unanimous opinion that the PCB and Pakistan government did everything reasonably possible to protect the safety of our players during the tour."

Since the Karachi bombing, uncertainty has surrounded Australia's tour to Pakistan in August and October.

Several leading players have said they are unwilling to tour while the ACB says it will monitor the situation before taking a decision. Captain Steve Waugh, however, has said he would tour if asked.

Snedden's letter added: "Unfortunately the lesson we have learned from this incident is that it is virtually impossible to provide complete protection when you are dealing with people who are prepared to sacrifice their own lives in order to inflict damage and misery on others.

"You must not believe that this is in any way your fault or that you have in any way let anyone down... Our players were extremely shocked and traumatised by their experiences. They are taking time to recover but I am hopeful that none of them will suffer long-term ill effects."

Mail Cricket Editor