The Pakistan Cricket Board have confirmed that a World XI Series will take place in Lahore starting 10 September. 

The XI will be picked from a 15-man squad and led by coach Andy Flower. The final side will undergo a seven-day camp in Dubai before travelling to Lahore for a three-match T20 series.

According to Espncricinfo.com, the Punjab government approved ‘presidential-level security’ for the week-long tour.

Recently retired PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan’s persistence to have the series has paid off, with the help from the ECB president and chairman of the ICC’s Pakistan task force, Giles Clarke.

The biggest concern would be security in Pakistan, but the ICC are supporting the tour, and have been involved with the PCB in putting security assurances in place that are to FICA’s satisfaction, according to PCB chairman Najam Sethi. The world body has also shown their financial support for the project.

Teams have been afraid of touring Pakistan, but Sethi is confident that the Series will pave the way for teams to reconsider their decision to boycott playing in the country.

The PCB has confirmed that the West Indies will travel to Pakistan in November and play three T20Is, and are looking at the possibility of hosting Sri Lanka for a one-off T20I in September.

Security concerns arose when gunmen attacked the Sri Lankan team bus in March 2009. Zimbabwe and Afghanistan are the only international teams to have played in Pakistan since the incident.

This was a blow to their World Cup-hosting opportunity in 2011, with the tournament scheduled to be c0-hosted by India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Another security infringement in 2015 during Zimbabwe’s tour saw a bomb blast 800 metres from the Gaddafi Stadium during the second ODI, and resulted in two deaths.

Since the incident, the 2017 PSL final was hosted in the country on 5 March without security breaches. The tournament displayed some international talent, including former West Indies captain Darren Sammy.

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