Samiul Hasan: ACB official coming to meet PCB (22 Jul 1998)

22 July 1998

ACB official coming to meet PCB

By Samiul Hasan

KARACHI, July 21: Australian Cricket Board (ACB) has expressed reservations about Pakistan's proposal for playing a Test match at Peshawar during the forthcoming series.

According to the tentative itinerary prepared by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Australia, who are scheduled to begin their tour in late September, are to play Test matches at Rawalpindi, Peshawar and Karachi.

However, the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) has expressed `security concerns'about playing a Test at Peshawar and has requested the PCB to shift the game to Lahore. Informed sources say the PCB has not acceded to the ACB request.

Defending Peshawar as venue, the PCB have reportedly told the ACB that during October, Lahore would be staging the Champions Trophy hockey tournament. The interest of the followers of the games would be divided and both sports would suffer in financial terms as well.

It is because of the disagreement about playing a Test at Peshawar that the ACB has not yet formally confirmed the tour itinerary, Richard Watson, ACB's Manager Operations, told Dawn in a telephonic interview from Victoria, Australia.

He said he would meet the PCB Chief Executive, Majid Khan, in Lahore next week and "this (change of second Test venue) will be one of the issues to be discussed, although I will not be flying to Peshawar to personally watch the security arrangements." "We haven't played a Test there though we did play a one-day international at Peshawar. The experience of that game was not a memorable one if one goes into the past," Watson recalled.

"That game was marred by crowd violence and we don't want that to happen again. That's the reason why ACB has expressed concerns about the Peshawar venue.

"We have been informed by the PCB that they have overcome the crisis," he added.

He denied that the itinerary would be finalized during his visit to Lahore. "I will return to Victoria and will brief my Chief Executive (Malcolm Speed). It will be upto him and the ACB to make the final decision.

"If the PCB don't agree to change the venue, its upto them but we have concerns about Peshawar," he repeated.

During his meeting with Majid Khan in Lahore, he said, he would also discuss the future tour formalities between the two countries.

According to another ACB source, Malcolm Speed had expressed his concerns to Majid Khan when the two had met during the International Cricket Council (ICC) meeting at Lord's last month.

"I don't want to criticise anyone but we raised the issue last month," the source said.

Majid Khan told Dawn last week that he was still awaiting confirmation of the itinerary from his Australian counterparts before releasing it to the media.

"A tentative itinerary was faxed to them (ACB) days ago and we are still awaiting Australian confirmation. We have asked them to send their approval as early as possible," he had said.

Source:: Dawn (https://dawn.com/)