Sri Lanka to play Pakistan in Dubai

DUBAI, JULY 30. With India backing out, Pakistan will now take on Sri Lanka in the first one-day International cricket tournament to be organised in Dubai in September.

``We are in touch with Sri Lanka and they should be playing in a three-match series against Pakistan,'' Dubai Cricket Council (DCC) secretary, Mr. Vikram Kaul said.

He said the DCC wanted to promote cricket in a big way in the UAE. ``With the matches between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, we are going to set the wheel in motion and the idea is to keep on growing,'' he added.

Mr. Kaul said the matches were expected to be played on September 22, 23 and 25. Pakistan will play the matches while returning home from Toronto after playing against India in the Sahara Cup.

Initially, India had agreed to play in the Dubai tournament but later backed out, apparently due to the match- fixing scandal. A local daily here said Pakistan Cricket Board chairman (PCB) Tauqir Zia, who is also the chairman of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), tried his best to influence India to take part in the Dubai tournament. Mr. Kaul also flew down to India for talks with officials of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

The PCB has already confirmed its participation and even offered its assistance to the DCC in staging the tournament. ``Pakistan will play in Dubai irrespective of who their opponents are,'' PCB director Yawar Saeed said.

The PCB chairman had sent his cricketing operations general manager Zakir Khan to Dubai on July 9 to examine the facilities for the tournament.

Mr. Kaul said, ``we have got excellent feedback from Pakistan. They have informed us that they are happy with the playing conditions and the facilities for the tournament.''

- UNI

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