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No one interested in touring Pakistan, admits disappointed PCB chief

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Zaka Ashraf has expressed disappointment over the unwillingness of international teams to tour Pakistan due to security concerns.

Karachi: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Zaka Ashraf has expressed disappointment over the unwillingness of international teams to tour Pakistan due to security concerns.
"No one is interested in tours. All the boards point towards the lack of security in Pakistan," Ashraf said. Ashraf, who was in Kuala Lumpur for the International Cricket Council (ICC) annual conference, had two main aims- to convince boards about touring Pakistan and talks with the Indian board about the revival of a bilateral series. However, his effort received a major blow when he was given the cold shoulder by the other boards that showed no interest in touring the country in the near future. Pakistan have not hosted a Test nation since 2009 after the attack on the Sri Lanka team bus and while the board came close to breaking the barren run in April when Bangladesh agreed to play a two-match series, intervention by a Dhaka court led to its cancellation. Ashraf added that the municipal authorities`` act to bring down a wall at the PCB headquarters in Lahore had also left a negative impact. "Some officials also spoke about Gaddafi Stadium wall. They were carrying the stories and asked me how they could play amid serious security issues," he said. The Gulberg town municipal corporation destroyed the wall saying it was built without its approval and on a green belt. The PCB, meanwhile, said that the wall was built in accordance with the ICC`s security standards and requirements. ANI