PCB chairman targets return home for UAE-based Pakistan cricket series

Najam Sethi spoke of the importance of having international cricket in Pakistan following his appointment.

Newly elected chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Najam Sethi addresses the media. Arif Ali / AFP

Making international cricket a permanent fixture in Pakistan is the top priority for Najam Sethi but the new Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman has called for "patience."

Pakistan have played the majority of their home fixtures in the UAE since the 2009 attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore, although steps have been taken that have seen top-level cricket return to the country. Last season's Pakistan Super League final was played in Lahore amid heightened security, while Zimbabwe toured Pakistan in May. A proposed World XI tour next month is the next expected step.

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"We need to show patience because it is related to the security situation in the country," Sethi said after being named PCB chairman for the next three years. "We hope to bring a World XI for a three-match Twenty20 series and the next two to three months will bring more good news.

"We have invited Sri Lanka to play a few matches (in Pakistan) after their series with us and I will try to get a reply on that invitation."

Pakistan are scheduled to play two tests, three one-day international and two Twenty20 internationals against Sri Lanka in September-October, with the series likely to be held in the UAE.