World XI helped Pakistan to host Sri Lanka and West Indies for Twenty20 series in coming days
The Pakistan Cricket Board has finally won the confidence of foreign players through its successful four-day World XI tour to Pakistan.
The successfully organizing Independence Cup show has helped the country to invite international team to visit and play in Pakistan.
Pakistan hopes the successful staging of this series will help them host Sri Lanka for a T20I on October 29, at the end of their full series in the United Arab Emirates. A month later they are also likely to host the West Indies for three Twenty20 matches.
The 2009 terror attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore appeared to shut all doors for international cricket in Pakistan, since that Pakistan hasn’t hosted international cricket.
The terror attack resulted in the suspension of international cricket and kept foreign sport stars from visiting the country Pakistan for nearly a decade.
However, with tireless efforts of Pakistan Cricket Board, Pakistan managed to bring international players from top cricketing nations to compile a World XI lineup for a three-match Twenty20 tournament in the hopes of reopening the closed doors of international cricket in Pakistan.
Let me mention that, the successful Pakistan Super League final in March where foreign players like English players Dawid Malan and Chris Jordan West Indian Darren Sammy and Marlon Samuels participated, helped PCB to host international matches,
The International Cricket Council congratulated Pakistan for successful staging of the Independence Cup against World XI at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
According to an ICC press release, ICC Director, Giles Clarke and ICC Chief Executive, David Richardson, thanked the people of Pakistan for embracing the World XI players.
South African Test and T20 Captain Faf du Plessis, who led the World XI squad in the Independence Cup 2017 thanked the airport security officials for all of their efforts and expressed well wishes for the Pakistani people.
“I am optimistic other teams will also come to Pakistan after this tour,” he said. Du Plessis promised he would not hesitate to come to Pakistan again if given the opportunity in the future.
Above all that Andy Flower coach of the World XI with Tamim Iqbal, Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis (c), David Miller, Darren Sammy, Thisara Perera, George Bailey, Ben Cutting, Samuel Badree, Morne Morkel, Paul Collingwood and Imran Tahir deserve a huge credit for visiting the country where international cricket was missed since 2009.