PAK_ENG_TOUR_2000_04MAR1996

Tour date offer for the TCCB in 2000

BY PETER DEELEY IN KARACHI

ENGLAND are likely to undertake their first Test tour of Pakistan since the 1987 rumpus between Mike Gatting and umpire Shakoor Rana. But it will not be until the year 2000, according to Arif Abassi, chief executive of the Pakistan Cricket Board.

Abassi announced that negotiations were at an advanced stage after the England defeat here at the national stadium. Since Pakistan have been trying for more than two years without success to persuade the Test and County Cricket Board to agree to return, Abassi`s statement cannot, on its own, be taken as sealing the agreement.

But it appears the TCCB have finally opened their minds to another visit. England A visited here last year and "really enjoyed themselves and appreciated the facilities", according to Abassi.

Furthermore, when England`s World Cup side arrived, captain Michael Atherton stressed the importance of building up good relationships with Pakistan and "burying the past".

Abassi said he thought that the 13-year gap was too long. He said: "I would have liked it to come earlier. We would have liked as many exchange visits as possible. It`s always good to have an England side here."

He said a four-Test schedule was probable, the tour running from October to December 2000.

The old days of Sri Lanka being a pushover are gone

Abassi was also asked why Pakistan were only playing three Tests in England this summer. "We would have liked to play five - as we have on our last two visits - but they didn`t give a reason for cutting us back."

He did not see problems ahead with Pakistan`s visit to India - at Madras or Bangalore - in the quarter-finals.

Although the two countries, with Sri Lanka, are co-hosting the World Cup, Indo-Pakistan relationships are politically unstable. It would be the first time a Pakistan side had ventured across the border for seven years.

Pakistan manager Intikhab Alam had a satisfied smile on his face after defeating England, and not because of the result.

A Karachi newspaper had quoted him before the match talking about "throwing it" to stay in Pakistan for the quarter-final. "How could they say a thing like that?" he exclaimed. "It was terrible: the last thing we would do."

Atherton appeared at the press conference wearing a Pakistan shirt he had swapped with his opposite number, Wasim Akram, a shrewd tactical move after his recent gaffes.

He said: "In terms of a result, the game itself didn`t have a massive significance. To win the World Cup you have to play the best sides at some point. The old days of Sri Lanka being a pushover are gone. They`re playing good cricket and are tough opponents. But we have to fancy ourselves."

Source :: Electronic Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk)