Karachi: Encouraged by the successful three-match tour of the Ben Stokes-led England team, International Cricket Council (ICC) CEO Geoff Allardice wants more Test matches to be played in Pakistan. England played Test matches in Rawalpindi, Multan and Karachi, which also attracted large numbers of spectators.
England made a clean sweep of the series by winning all these three matches. Earlier Australia also toured Pakistan earlier this year. The huge number of spectators thronging the stadiums shows the interest of the Pakistani people in the longest format of the game.
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Allardice said, “Pakistan fans are passionate about the game and their team, but most importantly they are welcoming guests.” Pakistan will now host defending world Test champions New Zealand for two Test matches. The first match of this series will be played in Karachi from 26 December. Allardyce is hopeful that Test cricket will continue to flourish in Pakistan after the tours of teams like Australia and England.
He said, “Pakistan is an important member of the ICC. Series like this (vs England) are happening and fans are coming to Pakistan and in a few days New Zealand will come to play a Test series. All this is an important step in the direction of cricket being played regularly in Pakistan. (agency)