Kumar Sangakkara to captain MCC on Pakistan tour
What's the story?
With an aim to strengthen cricket in Pakistan, Kumar Sangakkara will lead an MCC squad on a tour of Pakistan next year. The matches will take place in February, 2020 and the MCC World Cricket Committee has described the tour as a 'long-stated aim' for cricket to return in the Asian nation.
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The background
Test cricket returned to Pakistan after a gap of 10 years when Sri Lanka locked horns with the hosts in Rawalpindi earlier this week. Because of the security issues, the teams avoided visiting the Men in Green's home however, the Pakistan Cricket Board improved its safety measures and invited teams to play cricket in Pakistan.
Many teams had earlier played limited overs cricket in Pakistan after 2010 but in December 2019, Sri Lanka finally ended the Test match drought of the country.
The heart of the matter
Confirming the upcoming Pakistan tour, MCC President Kumar Sangakkara said,
"I am excited to be captaining MCC on the tour to Pakistan. With international cricket having returned for the first time in a decade, it is wonderful the Club is doing its part to strengthen cricket in Pakistan and I look forward to being part of the trip."
He also talked about the importance of supporting cricket in Pakistan and added,
"It is hugely important to support cricket in countries such as Pakistan, and the PCB has done a tremendous job in rebuilding the international cricketing landscape since the tragic events of 2009."
As per the reports, the MCC officials had assessed the security measures in Pakistan before announcing the tour. MCC Chief Executive and Secretary Guy Lavender expressed his views over the tour and said,
"The people of Pakistan have been starved of seeing their team play at home for a decade and it is wonderful to see that Test cricket has recently returned to the country. As a Club, one of MCC's priorities is to maintain its global relevance on the game by supporting countries in their provision for cricket, and we are united with the global game in wanting to see international teams returning to play in Pakistan. Of course the predominant focus has been assessing the relative safety and security considerations, and we are working closely with the PCB to manage a robust security plan to ensure the tour can take place."
PCB Chairman Wasim Khan was delighted after MCC's declaration. He welcomed the announcement and said,
"Following months of dialogue, and the opportunity to put Pakistan's compelling case forward to the prestigious and important MCC World Cricket committee, I am delighted that MCC has confirmed that it will send a touring team to Lahore in February. The decision by the world's oldest and most influential cricket club to send a quality team is further testament that Pakistan is as safe and secure a country as any other cricket-playing nation in the world, and MCC's tour is a further step forward in normalising team tours to Pakistan.The PCB looks forward to welcoming the MCC cricket team and we fully expect the squad to have a thoroughly enjoyable time."
What's next?
It will be intriguing to see how the MCC team performs in the matches versus Pakistan.