First ICC full member nation to visit Pakistan since March 2009: Five-match limited-overs tour commences onMay 19
LAHORE–April 30, 2015: Pakistan is all set to host top-notch cricket for the first time in six years when Zimbabwe commences its tour on May 19. The five-match limited-overs series contains two T20Is and three ODIs.
Zimbabwe thus shall become the first ICC full-member nation to visit Pakistan since the 2009 terrorist attack on Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore.
The Pakistan Cricket Board and Zimbabwe Cricket have signed the MoU, the itinerary has been agreed upon and Zimbabwe Cricket has duly intimated the ICC of its intent to visit Pakistan between May 19 and June 1, 2015.
“I am grateful to my counterpart in Zimbabwe Cricket, Wilson Manase, for acceding to our request of sending a full side on a tour to Pakistan.
“This would be an auspicious moment for Pakistan cricket and I am positive that it would open doors of international cricket in Pakistan. Kenya have already been here for five matches against Pakistan ‘A’ and I am indeed confident that Zimbabwe’s incident-free tour shall be the harbinger of more and more associate and full member nations visiting us in the months and years to come”, said PCB Chairman Shaharyar Mohammad Khan.
The Cricket Zimbabwe’s security team shall come over to Lahore – the venue of all the five games being the Gaddafi Stadium here – on May 4 2015 with a mandate to review just the security arrangements put in place by the PCB with the full backing and support of the Punjab government and various provincial and federal law enforcement agencies.
“We vigorously tried to convince Cricket Zimbabwe to split the matches between Lahore and Karachi but the visiting team’s members expressed concern on extensive travelling, and their request had to be accommodated”, said a PCB spokesman.
The tour itinerary, all matches at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore:
May 19: Team Zimbabwe arrive
May 22: First T20I
May 24: Second T20I
May 26: First ODI
May 29: Second ODI
May 31: Third ODI
June 01: Team Zimbabwe departs
Cricket Zimbabwe confirms the tour
For information, in a Press Conference in Harare, Zimbabwe, Chairman and CEO Cricket Zimbabwe said:
“I can confirm that Zimbabwe will be touring Pakistan in May. I am not in any doubt that the PCB will be looking after us well. That has been assured. I have been in touch with the PCB President Mr Khan, whom I have the greatest respect for.”
– Zimbabwe Cricket chairman Wilson Manase.
"We are touring Pakistan as a measure of establishing bilateral relations between us and them. They will also come to Zimbabwe in August."
– Alistair Campbell, Zimbabwe Cricket's managing director, cricket.
