Pakistan invited to tour England

The ECB has invited Pakistan to tour England in 2010, a year ahead of their scheduled visit as part of the Future Tours Programme.

"We are keen to play a series in England so we will be holding negotiations soon with the ECB to sort out financial arrangements," the head of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Saleem Altaf, said.

Pakistan are likely to play three Tests, five one-day internationals and a Twenty20 international, and Altaf confirmed to Cricinfo that the invitation came directly from the ECB. Should the tour go ahead, it will give Pakistan the chance to compensate the ECB for the losses suffered during the controversial Oval Test on the team's last tour to England in 2006. The England board requested £800,000 (US$1.3 million) from the PCB for lost revenue after the match was awarded to England following Pakistan's refusal to play after tea on the fourth day.

"Pakistan and England had made an agreement to play a Twenty20 match whenever we tour England," Altaf said, "and the proceeds could overcome the losses incurred at [The] Oval."

West Indies have been lined up by England to tour in 2009, replacing Sri Lanka, instead of their scheduled visit in 2010. Pakistan, therefore, could take West Indies' place a year later.

Pakistan recently proposed a two-Test offshore series with West Indies, which was due to be held in Abu Dhabi, but it was cancelled earlier this week. The decision leaves Pakistan with no Test cricket this year; their next scheduled match is against India in January.