Karachi, Sept 21: The Pakistan Cricket Board was hopeful today that South Africa will reverse its decision to cancel this month's tour of Pakistan due to security fears. "We have offered them a change in venues other than Karachi and Peshawar," PCB spokesman Samiul Hasan told. "They can delay the start of the tour by one week."
"We hope that something positive will come out soon and the South African cricket officials would reverse their decision soon in the best interest of the game," Hasan said.
Pakistan's leading English newspaper Dawn today criticised the United Cricket Board of South Africa President Ray Malik for pulling out of the tour.
"Perhaps the UCB chief should have first assessed the situation in his own country, both now and then, before speaking his mind on such a sensitive issue," the paper said.
The report recalled that in 1998, Pakistani player Saqlain Mushtaq and paceman Mohammad Akram were badly injured while in Johannesburg. The players were attacked by three men while going out for dinner.
"As a result, the tour was seriously in danger of being abandoned when the Pakistan team, led by Rashid Latif, had wanted to go home for security reasons," Dawn reported. "But sanity prevailed and the series commenced with the PCB urging the team to stay and play in South Africa."
The paper also urged the PCB not to accept a South African proposal to shift the test and one-day series to South Africa or a neutral venue.
Bureau Report