PCB puts proposed Kenya series on hold

The PCB has decided to push the proposed Kenya series to December, as it is still awaiting government clearance for the series. Kenya were in talks with the PCB, to play five one-dayers between November 20 and 29 with Paksitan A in Pakistan, even as the PCB attempts to break Pakistan's isolation.

"We had to put Kenya on hold, as we need to talk at the top [government] level," PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan said in Lahore. "Otherwise they were all set to host the tour in the next 10-15 days, but now we have asked them to hold for a while and we will reschedule the series soon. In the meanwhile, our Under-19 team is touring Kenya."

The PCB had invited Kenya, and the team was discussing visiting Pakistan as part of its build-up ahead of the ICC World Cricket League Division Two in January, in Windhoek, Namibia. The proposed schedule had the visitors playing three matches against Pakistan A in Lahore, followed by two matches in Faisalabad on November 27 and 28.

Khan also said that the PCB is in talks with various Associate teams who had qualified for the 2015 World Cup, and would like them to visit next year. They have been briefed about the security situation in Pakistan, he said. "In recent meetings at the ICC and ACC, I got the opportunity to meet our counterparts and informed them of the ground reality of the security conditions in our country. In general there is a difference from 2007 to 2014, and we have reports that situation has improved a lot in last few years. Yes, there were unfortunate incidents recently in Karachi and the Wagah border, those are probably setbacks, but I am talking about general improvement.

"We are engaged with many boards and informing them that the time is about to come when things will be normal in the country and they should start considering our invite. We have offered them to start with low-profile tours - like sending over junior teams for competitions - so I am hopeful things will come good next year."

Pakistan has not hosted any major international cricket since gunmen attacked the Sri Lankan team bus in March 2009. Kenya are the second Associate country Pakistan have invited in the last six months. Ireland had been invited and had been willing to tour Pakistan in September, but the terrorist attacks in and around Karachi airport in June ruled out the proposition. The PCB had also asked Sri Lanka to come over earlier this year, without much result.