Pakistan would be popular in England and Wales

David Morgan, the ICC president, has said Pakistan would receive great support if they used England and Wales for "home" matches following the fallout from the Lahore terrorist attack. Bangladesh cancelled their hosting of Pakistan due to security concerns and the team's first international engagement will be in Dubai and Abu Dhabi next month for limited-overs matches against Australia.

"They seem to want to play in England, and there will be a great deal of support should they want to play in England or Wales, with the Pakistani population in those two nations," Morgan told the Sydney Morning Herald. "The important thing is not to reduce the volume of international cricket, and I believe the other nations are very keen to give them every support."

He said that as long as Pakistan's matches were broadcast on television, the people in the country would still be able to see their side perform. "In Pakistan, Test match cricket is not being followed by large numbers of people in stadiums," he said. "Obviously, home advantage is a very important thing, and they will clearly miss that."

Morgan did not want Pakistan to become isolated after the events of March 3, when the Sri Lanka team bus and ICC officials were targets of the raid. Eight people were killed and seven members of the Sri Lanka squad suffered injuries.

"It's produced some of the world's most attractive cricketers for 30 years, household names, perhaps disproportionately to any other country," Morgan said. "It's important that other Full Members recognise the significance of playing against Pakistan."