Che Guevara
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MIRPUR (AJK) - Pakistan cricket team would emerge one of the best teams in the cricket world as it was swiftly moving forward with much better performances to reach its heights.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Zaka Ashraf expressed these views while talking to this scribe on the eve of Mirpur Stadium visit. Bilateral series between Pakistan and India will help promote cricket in the region, he added.
Zaka said the Indian cricket team would soon visit Pakistan to play the One-day and T20 international matches. Pakistan would also visit India in December to play three One-dayers and two T20 matches, he said.
He was accompanied by the top PCB officials including director academies Javed Miandad, Intikhab Alam, Col (retd) Noushad Ahmad and the GM Media Nadeem Sarwar besides others.
The PCB chief visited all blocks of the stadium and was much impressed with the lush-green ground and termed it at par with the world best cricket stadiums.
Zaka recalled that cricket gave the message of friendship between the neighbours Pakistan and India in the past as well and the International Cricket Council (ICC) has formally approved the bilateral series between the two nations. The PCB chief pointed out that President Asif Ali Zardari took a great initiative to encourage and promote friendly relations between Pakistan and India. He added that the ICC was taking keen interest for the revival of international cricket in Pakistan.
He said Pakistan and Indian governments were seeking good friendly relations through promoting people-to-people contact, trade and sport relations. He admitted that no doubt there were security issues in Pakistan, yet the government was determined to provide foolproof security to the international teams.
He further said that the cricket was being promoted across the country at the grass-roots and regional level. He pointed out that Fata, Balochistan, interior Sindh including Larkana, Saraiki region of Punjab were given the regional status for the promotion of cricket at the regional level for promotion of international and domestic cricket in there. The PCB trying hard to promote cricket from top to bottom levels simultaneously in all regions of the country.
To a query regarding grant of an independent regional status to AJK, Zaka said that the PCB would contemplate to the proposal positively as well. Presently, AJK is affiliated with the PCB Rawalpindi/Islamabad region.
Cricket future is bright in Azad Jammu and Kashmir especially in Mirpur which has a world-class cricket stadium, Zaka added.
The PCB has started the renovation work through a plan for Mirpur Cricket Stadium to get it recognized as an international stadium from the ICC where Test matches and one-day internationals should be held, Zaka stated.
The PCB chief said that world-fame Pakistani architect Nayer Ali Dada has been engaged by the PCB to materialize the plan for the up-gradation of the stadium. He told that the board has taken over the control of Mirpur Cricket Stadium on 23-year-lease and the lease period could be extended twice for the same period in the future to hold international and domestic cricket matches.
He said there would be no hitch in holding the international events in AJK since one-day international events were held in Mirpur stadium between under-19 cricket teams of Australia and Pakistan in the recent past. Kashmiris are our bothers and there seemed no hurdle in way of holding international matches on the soil of AJK, he said.
To another query, Zaka said that besides Tests, one-day international and domestic matches, T20 matches would be played in Mirpur Stadium in the near future. The stadium has 16,000 seating capacity and is spread over 114-kanal of land with four international standard pavilions.
India to visit Pakistan soon: Zaka | The Nation
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Zaka Ashraf expressed these views while talking to this scribe on the eve of Mirpur Stadium visit. Bilateral series between Pakistan and India will help promote cricket in the region, he added.
Zaka said the Indian cricket team would soon visit Pakistan to play the One-day and T20 international matches. Pakistan would also visit India in December to play three One-dayers and two T20 matches, he said.
He was accompanied by the top PCB officials including director academies Javed Miandad, Intikhab Alam, Col (retd) Noushad Ahmad and the GM Media Nadeem Sarwar besides others.
The PCB chief visited all blocks of the stadium and was much impressed with the lush-green ground and termed it at par with the world best cricket stadiums.
Zaka recalled that cricket gave the message of friendship between the neighbours Pakistan and India in the past as well and the International Cricket Council (ICC) has formally approved the bilateral series between the two nations. The PCB chief pointed out that President Asif Ali Zardari took a great initiative to encourage and promote friendly relations between Pakistan and India. He added that the ICC was taking keen interest for the revival of international cricket in Pakistan.
He said Pakistan and Indian governments were seeking good friendly relations through promoting people-to-people contact, trade and sport relations. He admitted that no doubt there were security issues in Pakistan, yet the government was determined to provide foolproof security to the international teams.
He further said that the cricket was being promoted across the country at the grass-roots and regional level. He pointed out that Fata, Balochistan, interior Sindh including Larkana, Saraiki region of Punjab were given the regional status for the promotion of cricket at the regional level for promotion of international and domestic cricket in there. The PCB trying hard to promote cricket from top to bottom levels simultaneously in all regions of the country.
To a query regarding grant of an independent regional status to AJK, Zaka said that the PCB would contemplate to the proposal positively as well. Presently, AJK is affiliated with the PCB Rawalpindi/Islamabad region.
Cricket future is bright in Azad Jammu and Kashmir especially in Mirpur which has a world-class cricket stadium, Zaka added.
The PCB has started the renovation work through a plan for Mirpur Cricket Stadium to get it recognized as an international stadium from the ICC where Test matches and one-day internationals should be held, Zaka stated.
The PCB chief said that world-fame Pakistani architect Nayer Ali Dada has been engaged by the PCB to materialize the plan for the up-gradation of the stadium. He told that the board has taken over the control of Mirpur Cricket Stadium on 23-year-lease and the lease period could be extended twice for the same period in the future to hold international and domestic cricket matches.
He said there would be no hitch in holding the international events in AJK since one-day international events were held in Mirpur stadium between under-19 cricket teams of Australia and Pakistan in the recent past. Kashmiris are our bothers and there seemed no hurdle in way of holding international matches on the soil of AJK, he said.
To another query, Zaka said that besides Tests, one-day international and domestic matches, T20 matches would be played in Mirpur Stadium in the near future. The stadium has 16,000 seating capacity and is spread over 114-kanal of land with four international standard pavilions.
India to visit Pakistan soon: Zaka | The Nation
