Lahore: World XI captain Faf du Plessis said here Monday that their tour of Pakistan is not just about playing a series but way bigger than that where the crazy fans get a dose of top flight international cricket.
“It is not just about cricket. This short tour is for something bigger. We are just happy that after a long time Pakistani cricket fans can watch international action at home,” Du Plessis said at a press conference.
The World XI squad reached the city in the wee hours of Monday from Dubai and were received at the Allama Iqbal International Airport by PCB chairman, Najam Sethi and other high ranking officials.
The players and officials had a heavy security cover via the Mall road here to their hotel where all of their activities are planned for the duration of their stay. They will play three T20 games September 12th, 13th and15.
With six layers of security being set-up, all entry and exit points to the Mall road were closed for normal traffic as hundreds of police commandoes and paramilitary rangers stood alert along the route.
Security layers have also been extremely tight at the hotel where the World XI and Pakistan teams are staying with only accredited personal allowed access into the hotel lobby besides the guests staying there.
Since March, 2009 when militants attacked the Sri Lankan side near the Gaddafi Stadium, no top Test side has come to Pakistan due to security concerns and the ICC also refused to send any match referee and umpires for the limited overs series played by Zimbabwe in May, 2015.
The importance of the tour was also highlighted by Plessis and coach, Andy Flower. “You always try to find things to help you leave your mark — and this seemed like the sort of opportunity to do just that,” Du Plessis said.
“As a cricketer, in a few years time, I will be able to look back and say that I played my part in bringing cricket back to Pakistan,” added the South African.
Flower made it clear that the World XI side included some very well-known players and they wanted to give a good account of themselves before the passionate cricket fans of Pakistan.
“At the end of this tour, we went to be part of the celebrations to signal the return of international cricket to Pakistan,” Flower stated.
Pak may miss Aamir
Karachi: Pakistan could be without their top paceman Mohammad Aamir for the Twenty20 series against the World XI as he wants to be with his wife in London for the birth of their child, next week. According to PCB sources, Aamir has taken permission from the board and head coach Mickey Arthur to be with his wife. However, other team sources claimed Monday that Aamir may skip the series in Lahore since he suffered a back strain while playing his last match for Essex.
Agencies
