PCB ready to spend USD 5 lakh on hosting Zimbabwe

Karachi: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has agreed to spend around USD 5 lakh on hosting the Zimbabwe cricket team for a limited over series next month.

PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan said today that the PCB had accepted some of the requests of the Zimbabwe cricket union to make the tour possible, which would be the first by a Test nation to Pakistan since 2009.

"The expenditure on hosting the Zimbabwean team is around USD 500,000 but we expect to bring this figure down," he said.

A reliable source in the board told PTI that the amount included premium for taking out a life insurance on the touring players and officials, match fees and daily allowances to the visiting players and air tickets.
"For us this tour is important because we want Test teams to play in Pakistan and we want to send out the right message to the world about the security situation in Pakistan," Khan said.

He confirmed that a security delegation of the ZCU would reach Lahore on Sunday and after their report the tour itinerary would be announced.

"The ZCU has said they have spoken to their players as well and they are ready for the tour but their security delegation's report will matter.The Zimbabwe team is reluctant to play in Karachi so we are scheduling all matches in Lahore," he added.