Pakistan probables named for Test series against Sri Lanka

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) selection committee has here on Tuesday announced the names of 22 probable players for the forthcoming two-Test home series against Sri Lanka.

The meeting, presided over by chief selector Abdul Qadir, was also attended by the national team’s coach Intikhab Alam and newly-appointed captain Younus Khan besides the members of the selection committee.

The 22 selected probable players will report at the camp to be held in Karachi from February 15.

Younus Khan ahs been appointed captain of the team while former captain Shoaib Malik has also been included in the squad. Fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has been ruled out due to injury.

Other players are: Salman Butt, Nasir Jamshed, Khurram Manzoor, Misbah-ul-Haq, Faisal Iqbal, Asim Kamal, Fawad Alam, Bazid Khan, Saeed Bin Nasir, Sohail Tanvir, Yasir Arafat, Danish Kaneria, Shahid Khan Afridi, Umar Gul, Mohammad Talha, Sohail Khan, Abdul Rauf and Saeed Ajmal.

Besides, Kamran Akmal and Sarfaraz Ahmed have been included in the team as wicketkeepers.

As per Abdul Qadir, fitness and performance of the probables will be reviewed in the camp and later the final team will be announced.

PCB demands report on Pakistan’s worst defeat

The predictable fallout from a disastrous loss to Sri Lanka in the series-deciding ODI at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore has begun with the PCB asking Shoaib Malik and the Pakistan team management to submit a detailed report of the loss by Tuesday.

Pakistan were bowled out for just 75, their lowest total at home, and it resulted in their heaviest defeat ever in terms of runs, by 234 runs, in the third ODI third ODI on Saturday. Malik, coach Intikhab Alam and chief selector Abdul Qadir have also been summoned by the senate's sports committee to explain the reasons behind the loss.

"I have instructed Yawar Saeed (manager) and coach Intikhab Alam to give their detailed comments on the defeat in the next two days so that we can find out what happened. The board wants to know what has to be done to rectify the situation and set things right,"

Ijaz Butt, chairman of the PCB, said.

"We can't tolerate such poor performances from anyone. Like others I am also surprised at the way our batsmen played but I can't make any further comment until receiving a detailed report,"

he added.

A number of aspects of the performance are likely to come under the scanner, from the dropping of Sohail Tanvir, to going in with three spinners when all the talk had been of using pace.

Salman Butt's decision to go off the field with two overs left in the Sri Lanka innings, which eventually prevented him from opening the innings and requiring a re-jig in the batting order was another in a long line of costly mistakes. Asked whether the team management was aware of the rules, Butt said the opener had been told by the manager, but got late.

"It could be one of the reasons because [Salman] Butt was one of the in-form batsmen. However, there is no excuse too be bowled out for just 75,"

the chairman said.

Pakistan v Sri Lanka, 3rd ODI, Lahore

Sri Lanka 309 for 5 (Dilshan 137*, Sangakkara 50, Jayasuriya 45) beat

Pakistan 75 (Kulasekara 3-17, Thushara 3-33) 75 by 234 runs

It was over before the thousands of fans at the Gaddafi Stadium could blink. Sri Lanka inflicted one of the biggest annihilations in one-day internationals and trampled over Pakistan to post a 234-run win and take the series 2-1. It was the hosts' largest margin of defeat in ODIs: they were dismissed for 75 in reply to Sri Lanka's 309.

Sri Lanka's struggles against weak sides in recent months seemed a distant memory after the rout. The victory brought back memories of the time their bowlers dismantled India for 54 at Sharjah in 2000, after the batsmen had posted 299. They were not favourites to win this series, primarily due to an out-of-form top order, but the batsmen collectively shrugged off their poor form. Tillakaratne Dilshan set it up with a mature 137, Jayasuriya contributed 45, and Sangakkara made 50.

However, it was the speed at which the new-ball attack scythed through Pakistan that startled. Nuwan Kulasekara and Thilan Thushara used swing and seam movement to make up for the lack of express-pace and proved too difficult to handle for Pakistan's batsmen. Six Pakistan wickets fell before the tenth over, putting an end to the contest.

The conditions were predicted to favour the fast bowlers at the start of play but they got deadlier when Sri Lanka began bowling under lights. Thushara struck in the second over, trapping make-shift opener Younis Khan lbw, before Kulasekara found Salman Butt's edge to hand him a first-ball duck. It got worse for Pakistan when Kamran Akmal was caught in front by a Thushara delivery which cut in, skidded, and hit him low on the pads. The inspired bowling was backed up by superb fielding: Farveez Maharoof pulled off a blinder at short wicket, intercepting a full-blooded pull from Khurram Manzoor.

Even Misbah-ul-Haq had no answers to a delivery from Thushara and he edged to the wicketkeeper. Shahid Afridi fell four balls later, shouldering arms to a delivery that jagged back and had his off-stump flattened. Sections of the crowd that had cheered his entrance moments before began to leave.

Umar Gul walked in and began to time the ball through the gaps on the off side like a genuine batsman while Shoaib Malik stood helpless at the other end. Pakistan were 22 for 6 with no hope of recovery. The spinners wrapped up the tail and Muttiah Muralitharan picked up the final wicket, bowling Sohail Khan, to become the second bowler after Wasim Akram to take 500 ODI wickets. Pakistan's total of 75 was their lowest at home.

The spectacular nature of Pakistan's collapse, however, should not overshadow Dilshan's outstanding contribution earlier in the day. Sri Lanka continued their experiment of opening with him and Dilshan battled through overcast conditions to compile his career-best score. He was circumspect initially against the fast bowlers and was dropped on 1 by Salman Butt at backward point before realizing that a grafting approach was the need of the day.

He paddled and nudged, occasionally playing the fierce cut, and only after his hundred - his second in ODIs - did he open up. He slammed length deliveries and made room to carve the fuller ones over the off side. Pakistan's spinners gave him width and they paid for it.

Sri Lanka's innings was built on partnerships and each one took the game further away from Pakistan. Malik pushed the field back, opening up gaps in the outfield, and allowed the batsmen to progress. Steadily, Sri Lanka built towards the target Mahela Jayawardene had aimed for before the start of the game.

The contributions from Sangakkara and Thilina Kandamby were significant as well. Sangakkara swept the spinners and tapped the ball into gaps on the off side to take singles. His approach brought back memories of Arjuna Ranatunga and his 104-run partnership with Dilshan came at a run-a-ball. Sangakkara and Dilshan ran swiftly between the wickets but a moment of confusion over a risky single resulted in Sangakkara's wicket.

Dilshan, however, did not let the setback affect him and he added 57 more with Kandamby. His century was his second important contribution of the series, after the 76 in the second ODI in Karachi, and he was adjudged Man of the Series for scoring 255 runs in the three matches.

Pakistan v Sri Lanka, 2nd ODI, Karachi

Sri Lanka 290 for 8 (Dilshan 76, Kandamby 59, Gul 4-58) beat

Pakistan 161 (Butt 62, Malik 54, Muralitharan 3-19, Mendis 3-29) by 129 runs

Sri Lanka levelled the series 1-1 with a crushing win, thanks to a convincing all-round performance in Karachi. Tillakaratne Dilshan hit a sparkling half-century to take Sri Lanka to a strong total, before Nuwan Kulasekara and Muttiah Muralitharan shot out the hosts cheaply. Salman Butt and Shoaib Malik resisted with a 108-run partnership, but Muralitharan removed Malik to trigger a stunning collapse.

Sri Lanka were much more disciplined today. Though they contrived to let slip dominant positions more than once, they had the players to retrieve the situation and help them tide over the various mini-crises. The attacking Dilshan made good for Sanath Jayasuriya's hit-wicket dismissal and Kumar Sangakkara's suicidal run-out. And after Dilshan's exit, Thilina Kandamby - who replaced Jehan Mubarak from the XI in the first ODI - took charge of the run-making, allowing out-of-form captain Mahela Jayawardene to find his bearings.

The strong point for the visitors was that even after the soft dismissals of Kandamby, Jayawardene and Chamara Kapugedera, they didn't disintegrate in the final overs.

During the chase, Muralitharan got into the act after Butt and Malik threatened a matchwinning partnership. Muralitharan, brought into the attack in the 22nd over, struck the vital blow in his second over, removing Malik with a doosra that spun and bounced to get the edge. Butt fell tamely to Jayasuriya, chipping a leading edge to Jayawardene at cover in the next over, giving the Sri Lankan captain the record for most number of catches in ODIs. Thereafter, Sri Lanka ran amok - the lower half surrendered limply against Muralitharan and Mendis, just as the top order had floundered against Kulasekara.

Kulasekara, Sri Lanka's Ifthikhar Anjum, looks steady and unglamorous but he knows his role in the team and is aware of his limited craft. Unlike Anjum, whose main delivery is the away-going one, Kulasekara's chief wicket-taking ball is the incutter, with which he picked up two quick wickets.

Khurram Manzoor was trapped leg before in front of the off stump and Younis Khan dragged one on to middle. And when Thilan Thushara had Misbah-ul-Haq caught behind, it appeared that the chase was going to finish even before it began.

Sri Lanka's much-improved batting performance was largely due to Dilshan, who kickstarted the team's charge with a signature innings, attempting and pulling off some audacious strokes early. The third ball of the day, from Shoaib Akhtar, was a legcutter that moved away from off stump but Dilshan tried a flamboyant flick over midwicket and was comprehensively beaten. On another day, he might have got an edge and his shot selection would have come under the scanner. Not today, though.

When the strokes came off, they looked spectacular. He swung Shoaib over midwicket off a free-hit, survived a close shout for lbw before unfurling a couple of pulls and a cut against the same bowler. Shoaib leaked four fours in his second over and was taken out of the attack. Dilshan, however, continued stylishly against the other bowlers. He cheekily lapped a short-of-a-length delivery on middle and leg from Iftikhar Anjum over the short fine-leg fielder and lashed a full delivery over point with panache.

However, Sri Lanka's season of self-created agony continued to haunt them. Jayasuriya was out hit wicket for the first time in his 426-ODI career and Sangakkara ran himself out. It would have been worse for Sri Lanka had Kamran Akmal not given more ammunition to his critics. Kandamby stabbed a Shahid Afridi slider on 16 but Akmal dropped it, following which he went on to pick his singles and twos calmly to keep the score moving. Akmal later sought redemption with a sharp, low catch to his right to get rid of Jayawardene.

Kapugedara controlled the death overs, giving Sri Lanka enough runs to coast to a comfortable win and ensuring that the last match of the series, in Lahore on Saturday, is the series decider.

Pakistan v Sri Lanka, 1st ODI, Karachi

Pakistan 220 for 2 (Butt 100*, Manzoor 83) beat

Sri Lanka 219 (Sangakkara 49, Anjum 4-42, Gul 3-30)by eight wickets

A country starved of international cricket for over six months celebrated with a comprehensive eight-wicket victory over Sri Lanka to take a 1-0 lead in the series, thanks to the efforts of Salman Butt and Khurram Manzoor, who made light work of the 220-run target. Pakistan took full advantage of a jaded Sri Lankan side still circumspect with their form after struggling against weak sides in the recent months.

Sri Lanka were outclassed particularly in the batting and the wounds are taking way too long to heal. Their relatively potent bowling attack struggled to script a turnaround for the team's fortunes as a whole and with the first breakthrough coming as late as the 38th over, it was curtains for Sri Lanka.

Pakistan's discipline, impressive for a team denied of opportunities to play as a unit in the last year, carried them through. Save for a poor start with the ball, there were no other signs of rustiness and the positive body language showed they were happy to be back and performing against stronger opposition.

The start to the chase wasn't electric but watchful. It was a contrasting approach to Sri Lanka's earlier in the day, as the batsmen saw off the opening bowlers, who kept things fairly tight. That the Powerplays cost only 32 and 23 runs respectively, didn't cause too many worries in the Pakistan camp as they chased a below-par score.

The question was whether Pakistan would hold their own against the spinners, and their preparations against Ajantha Mendis seemed to pay off as they played him effectively off the hand. The plan was to get forward and smother the spin as most of Mendis' deliveries appeared to skid through.

Mendis was duly punished for ten runs in his first over, which included two forceful shots by Manzoor square of the wicket on either side. Mahela Jayawardene placed a slip to induce a mistake but Manzoor frequently glided deliveries past that fielder, even bringing up his fifty off one such deft touch.

The consistent Butt carried on his solid touch from the previous year - which he scored 861 runs - with some neat flicks past midwicket off Nuwan Kulasekara. He used his feet well against the spinners, playing down the line and with the turn. When Sanath Jayasuriya was brought on to effect a breakthrough, Butt slogged him for boundaries over midwicket.

His partner wasn't quite so assured at the start though and often made the mistake of shuffling across too far and cramping himself for room to cut. He gained in confidence as the innings progressed but perished at the stroke of the third Powerplay, caught and bowled by Muralitharan, after giving the bowler the charge but failing to get the elevation.

Butt pushed Mendis to deep cover to bring up his tenth ODI fifty. His ability to convert his fifties into bigger scores showed why he was among the top run scorers last year. He was surprisingly out of touch in the Abu Dhabi ODIs against West Indies in November, but today he shrugged off his recent indifferent form when he pushed a single to long-on to bring up his eighth ODI ton and fourth in the last 12 months.

It was a lesson on how to bat on this wicket, which played true to its prediction as a batting track. Sri Lanka's batsmen had the advantage at the toss but floundered after a strong start. The insecurities of the middle-order slowly surfaced as Pakistan clawed back, applied the pressure and restricted Sri Lanka to a total much lower than projected after the early blitz.

The experiment of asking Dilshan to open clicked and his heaves and slashes, effective but not necessarily attractive, showed why Sri Lanka missed him during the Bangladesh ODIs. Umar Gul, fresh from a stint in Australia, found success as early as his first over, getting Dilshan caught and then trapping Jayasuriya in front.

At the end of the 14th over, Sri Lanka had raced ahead with 89 on the board but the dismissals pegged the scoring back to the point from which they never recovered. Kumar Sangakkara swept the spinners, grafted away and was happy pushing the singles - he took 26 in all.

Kapugedera and Jehan Mubarak threw away their wickets, while Sangakkara perished off an upper cut, taken athletically by Butt at point just short of his fifty. In the end, it was Pakistan's first and second change bowlers who did most of the damage, after the hype surrounding Shoaib Akhtar's inclusion.

Sri Lanka don't have any time to regroup, with the second game scheduled for tomorrow. Pakistan will look for a series win and bring more smiles back to the faces of their fans who were given a second chance after India's pull-out.

Training Camp for National Team ahead of the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka

Younis Khan cuts loose at the nets, Karachi, January 17, 2009 © AFP

Shoaib Malik misses a catch during the nets session, Karachi, January 17, 2009 © AFP

Shoaib Akhtar concentrates hard during fielding pratice, Karachi, January 17, 2009 © AFP

Misbah-ul-Haq on the defensive against Umar Gul, Karachi, January 17, 2009 © AFP

Sri Lanka’s tour schedule revised again

Pakistan's cricket board said Wednesday the venues of the upcoming one-day series have been changed at Sri Lanka's request, with the three matches now to be played in Karachi and Lahore.

"We will now play the first two matches in Karachi on January 20 and 21 and the final match in Lahore on January 24,"

the Pakistan Cricket Board's chief operating officer Salim Altaf said.

Altaf did not say why Sri Lanka had made the request.

The third match had been set to take place in Faisalabad and was initially moved to Multan on January 27, but the first leg of Sri Lanka's two-part tour has now been shortened, Altaf said.

Sri Lanka agreed to tour Pakistan after India last month cancelled their much-anticipated visit in the wake of the Mumbai attacks, which have strained relations between New Delhi and Islamabad.

Sri Lanka will return to Pakistan on February 14 for two Test matches, Altaf said.

ICC names officials for Pak-Sri Lanka series

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced here on Tuesday the names of the officials for the One-day International series between Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Chris Broad has been appointed match referee for the three-match series beginning on January 21 while the ICC elite panel umpire Nigel Long will supervise all three One-day Internationals. Other umpires will be appointed by the Pakistan Cricket Board.

The matches will be held on January 21, 24 and 27.

Umar Amin new face in Pakistan's 15-man squad

Nineteen-year-old batsman Umar Amin has been rewarded for his impact on the domestic season with a call-up to Pakistan's 15-man squad for the first ODI against Sri Lanka on January 21 in Karachi. The team, the first picked by a new-look selection committee headed by Abdul Qadir, has gone back to traditional Pakistani strength, pace, but is not entirely without surprise.

Amin was the second-highest run-getter in last month's RBS Pentangular One-Day Cup, scoring 254 runs at an average of 84.66 and strike-rate of 89.12. A sound left-hand top-order batsman, he has impressed on several Under-19 tours and was also part of Pakistan's Under-19 squad at last year's World Cup in Malaysia.

"He is a real prospect and the coach and captain were both keen to have him in the squad, to encourage him and groom him further,"

Salim Jaffer, one of the selectors, told Cricinfo.

"He has impressed a number of people this season."

But pace it is that dominates Pakistan's thinking ahead of the three-match series. Sohail Khan returns having missed the Abu Dhabi series against West Indies in November as does the skiddy, all-round option of Yasir Arafat. Ahead of both are the first-choicers, Shoaib Akhtar, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Gul and Iftikhar Anjum, thus giving Pakistan six options. The wickets, it is a given, will be quicker and bouncier than have been seen in recent times.

"The selection committee spoke to the coach Intikhab Alam about the plan for the series and we have picked a squad according to that,"

Jaffer said.

"Our strength is pace and we believe our options there are stronger than Sri Lanka's so we have gone for that."

But there are some surprises in this squad, prime among them the exclusion Nasir Jamshed. Arguably Pakistan's find of a lean year in 2008, Jamshed has been overlooked despite being in the runs domestically. Jamshed missed the Abu Dhabi matches after pulling out at the last minute with an illness and was replaced by Khurram Manzoor.

A fair rather than spectacular return in those three ODIs has meant Manzoor retains his place over Jamshed, though it is learnt the spot was the focus of considerable debate and disagreement between the committee. One selector was in favour, but was ultimately ruled over by the other two.

There was also some friction over the dropping of Fawad Alam, the allrounder, who has become a regular squad fixture over the last year. As much as a lack of impact, it is thought Pakistan's preference for pace in this contest went against him.

The only spinner in the squad is offspinner Saeed Ajmal, which means there's no place yet for legspinner Danish Kaneria, who was hopeful of a one-day call-up with the change in the PCB management. Kaneria was surprisingly promoted to the top grade of central contracts and noises coming from the new management had suggested he may get a look-in under these selectors, having long been outside of Pakistan's ODI thinking. But a poor showing in the Pentangular one-dayers seems to have gone against him for the moment.

Sri Lanka's visit will be the first test for Shoaib Malik after he was given an indefinite extension as the team's captain earlier this month.

Pakistan squad : Shoaib Malik (capt), Misbah-ul-Haq, Salman Butt, Younis Khan, Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal (wk) , Sohail Tanvir, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Iftikhar Anjum, Saeed Ajmal, Khurram Manzoor, Sohail Khan, Yasir Arafat, Umar Amin.

Sri Lanka ODI squad announced for Pakistan

Sri Lanka's cricket selectors Friday recalled in-form Tillakaratne Dilshan for an upcoming three-match One-day International series in Pakistan.

The middle-order batsman, who played his last one-dayer at home against India in August 2008, has so far scored 2,994 runs in 152 matches with one hundred and 14 half-centuries.

Dilshan was in impressive form during his team's 2-0 Test series victory in Bangladesh recently, scoring 162 and 143 in the final Test in Chittagong to become only the fourth Sri Lankan to hammer two centuries in the match.

However, he was not named immediately in the squad for a triangular one-day series starting in Bangladesh Saturday. Zimbabwe are the third side.

Fast bowler Dammika Prasad, part of the Test team in Bangladesh, was not included in the 15-man squad for Pakistan to be led by middle-order batsman Mahela Jayawardene.

Veteran opener Sanath Jayasuriya retained his place in the one-day squad which had two young players in former under-19 captain Angelo Matthews and Thilina Kandamby.

Sri Lanka agreed to tour Pakistan after India cancelled the January-February series due to simmering political tensions between the two countries over the Mumbai attacks.

The three one-dayers will be played in Karachi (January 21), Lahore (January 24) and Faisalabad (January 27).

Sri Lanka will then return to Pakistan in mid-February for two Tests, in Karachi and Lahore.

Sri Lanka one-day squad: Mahela Jayawardene (captain), Kumar Sangakkara, Sanath Jayasuriya, Upul Tharanga, Chamara Kapugedera, Jehan Mubarak, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Thilina Kandamby, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis, Farveez Maharoof, Dilhara Fernando, Nuwan Kulasekera, Thilina Thushara, Angelo Matthews.

Sri Lanka confirm Pak tour

Sri Lankan Cricket Board has confirmed on Friday its team would tour Pakistan in the third week of January.

Director media Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Asif Sohail while talking to Geo News said Sri Lankan Cricket Board chairman Arjuna Ranatunga has made it confirm that Sri Lankan team would tour Pakistan in the third week of January.

Asif Sohail said Sri Lanka would play three tests, three one-day matches and a 20twenty match during the tour.

PCB spokesman said PCB is finalizing the schedule of Sri Lankan series, which would be announced likely within couple of days.

Sri Lanka asks Pakistan to make way for Indian league

Sri Lanka have asked Pakistan to re-schedule a proposed one-day international series in order to allow their players to take part in the Indian Premier League (IPL), a top official said here Monday.

Chief executive of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) Duleep Mendis said the team would tour Pakistan only if the dates did not clash with those of the IPL.

"We have told Pakistan that we are keen to help Pakistan only if it did not clash with the IPL,"

Mendis said.

Sri Lanka had offered to play in a short series of five one-day matches in Pakistan after Australia pulled out of a scheduled tour in March-April due to security concerns.

However the dates proposed for the series in Pakistan (April 23 to May 5) were clashing with those of the money-spinning league, set to take place at various venues in India from April 18 to June 1.

The date clash resulted in some of the top Sri Lankan players contracted to the IPL threatening to skip the series.

Mendis said SLC had already released players for the IPL and it would cause inconvenience if the Pakistan tour was to clash with the IPL.

The Pakistan Cricket Board has said that it was willing to offer SLC 800,000 dollars for the five ODIs but only if they sent their full team.

Niranjan Shah, the Indian board secretary, had also telephoned SLC on Friday to note their displeasure over the Pakistan tour, SLC sources said.

The IPL is a city-based tournament with eight teams bought by franchises who selected their respective line-ups via auction in Mumbai last month.

The tournament will see international cricketers put aside their national allegiances to play for privately-owned teams for the first time ever.

Players have received huge pay packets, starting from 100,000 dollars for the first year, to take part in the 44-day, 59-match extravaganza.

Sri Lanka tour of Pakistan hits IPL roadblock

Sri Lanka's proposed series of one-day internationals against Pakistan next month is in jeopardy due to a clash of dates with the cash-rich Indian Premier League.

Sri Lanka had offered to play in the short series following a pull-out by Australia from a full tour of Pakistan in March-April due to security concerns. But the dates of the series -- from April 23 to May 5 -- are in direct clash with the inaugural Twenty20 league, to be played over 44 days at various venues in India from April 18 to June 1.

The lure of playing in the cash-rich IPL ahead of the Pakistan series could prompt top Sri Lankan players to shun their national colours, media reports said Sunday.

Captain Mahela Jayawardene, key batsman Kumar Sangakkara and spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan are among a host of Sri Lankan players contracted to play in the IPL.

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), the governing body for the sport here, would be helpless to prevent the players from playing in the league as they are currently bound only by the West Indies tour contract, a news publication reported.

It said the players, currently in the West Indies to play two Tests and three one-day internationals, had deliberated at length over the clash.

"It is reliably learnt that there was a meeting amongst the Lankan cricketers on Friday at Guyana on the next course of action they were to take if they don't get the required permission to play in the IPL,"

the daily said.

The Pakistan Cricket Board has said that it was willing to offer SLC 800,000 dollars for the series of five one-day internationals, slated to be held from April 23 to May 5, but only if they send their full team.

The clash of dates has apparently also upset the Indian Cricket Board with a top official reported to have expressed his displeasure over the Pakistan tour to his counterpart in Sri Lanka over telephone.

SLC chief Arjuna Ranatunga is banking on the Indian tour in July-August to pull the board out of financial difficulties. A possible Indian decision to cancel the tour would cost Sri Lanka more than a million dollars.

Pakistan urge Sri Lanka to fill Australia gap

Pakistan are asking to Sri Lanka to help fill their scheduling gap after Australia shelved a planned tour over security fears, an official said Wednesday.

Pakistan want Sri Lanka to visit in the second half of April after Bangladesh agreed to play earlier in the month. Australia were due to tour from March 29 to April 29.

"Sri Lankan Board's president Arjuna Ranatunga is coming to Pakistan on Thursday and I hope that he will agree to send his team for a one-day series,"

Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Nasim Ashraf said.

Bangladesh will play five one-day matches next month here, Ashraf added. Sri Lanka are touring the West Indies until April 15.

Ashraf also brushed off doubts over Pakistan's hosting of the ICC Champions Trophy in September and the Asia Cup in June and July.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has confirmed that Pakistan will host the elite Champions Trophy from September 11-28. But it named Sri Lanka as an alternative venue in case Pakistan is not cleared on security issues.

"ICC is sending an advanced party to Pakistan on Thursday which will assess facilities and security in Pakistan and we hope to host the event in a befitting manner,"

Ashraf said.
Separately, an Asian Cricket Council delegation is in Pakistan and will announce the dates and venues for the Asian Cup in Lahore on Thursday.

"We have unequivocal confirmation from Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong to come for the Asia Cup,"

said Ashraf.

Ashraf also said he held meetings with Cricket Australia (CA) chief Creagh O'Conner in Dubai and hoped that the postponed Australia series will be rescheduled very soon.

CA has invited the PCB chairman to visit Australia to fix new dates for the tour. Australia's tour had been in doubt for months amid questions about security following a series of major blasts and serious political upheaval.