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KARACHI: All is set for return of international cricket in Pakistan as the South African members of the ‘World XI’ will be the first to arrive here in the early hours of Thursday (today) to be followed by the West Indians later in the afternoon.
Dr Mohammad Ali Shah, the Sindh Sports Minister and Chairman, Organising Committee, informed ‘The News’ here on Wednesday that the South Africans were due to land at 2.30 am while the West Indians were expected to reach Karachi at 1 pm and skipper Sanath Jayasuriya’s flight from Sri Lanka will be arriving at 4 pm.
The ‘World XI’, captained by former Sri Lankan all-rounder Sanath Jayasuriya, will be taking on the Pakistan All Stars XI, skipper by flamboyant all-rounder Shahid Khan Afridi, in back to back T20 matches to be played under floodlights here at the the National Stadium on Saturday and Sunday.
Besides Jayasuriya, the World XI features Ricardo Powell, Steven Taylor, Jermaine Charles Lawson and Adam Sanford from the West Indies, Justin Kemp, Loots Bosman, Mthandeki Tschabalala, Andre Nel, Andre Johann Seymore and Nantie Hayward from South Africa and Shapoor Zadran and Mohammad Shahzad Mohammadi from Afghanistan with Alvin Kallicharran, a former West Indian batting great, being the manager.
“All the members of the World XI squad, including the manager, will be in town by Thursday evening. They have no scheduled engagements until Friday when they will be appearing in a media briefing,” Dr Shah revealed.
“The security situation is totally under control and the plans are being executed. There will be rehearsal of security arrangements at the ground on Friday. The Police have already been taken over the possession of their rooms at the National Stadium,” he added.
Although the focus is on the foreign cricketers because it will be for the time since April 2009 when international cricket will be played in the country, the Pakistan All Stars XI contains many big games likely to draw huge crowds in both T20 matches.
Dr Shah confirmed that all the 16 members chosen to constitute the Pakistan Stars XI, led by Shahid Afridi, were available for the both the matches.
The other members of the team are Younis Khan, Nasir Jamshed, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Imran Nazir, Shahzeb Hasan, Khalid Latif, Fawad Alam, Zulqarnain Haider, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Faisal Iqbal and Anwar Ali.
Dr Mohammad Ali Shah, the Sindh Sports Minister and Chairman, Organising Committee, informed ‘The News’ here on Wednesday that the South Africans were due to land at 2.30 am while the West Indians were expected to reach Karachi at 1 pm and skipper Sanath Jayasuriya’s flight from Sri Lanka will be arriving at 4 pm.
The ‘World XI’, captained by former Sri Lankan all-rounder Sanath Jayasuriya, will be taking on the Pakistan All Stars XI, skipper by flamboyant all-rounder Shahid Khan Afridi, in back to back T20 matches to be played under floodlights here at the the National Stadium on Saturday and Sunday.
Besides Jayasuriya, the World XI features Ricardo Powell, Steven Taylor, Jermaine Charles Lawson and Adam Sanford from the West Indies, Justin Kemp, Loots Bosman, Mthandeki Tschabalala, Andre Nel, Andre Johann Seymore and Nantie Hayward from South Africa and Shapoor Zadran and Mohammad Shahzad Mohammadi from Afghanistan with Alvin Kallicharran, a former West Indian batting great, being the manager.
“All the members of the World XI squad, including the manager, will be in town by Thursday evening. They have no scheduled engagements until Friday when they will be appearing in a media briefing,” Dr Shah revealed.
“The security situation is totally under control and the plans are being executed. There will be rehearsal of security arrangements at the ground on Friday. The Police have already been taken over the possession of their rooms at the National Stadium,” he added.
Although the focus is on the foreign cricketers because it will be for the time since April 2009 when international cricket will be played in the country, the Pakistan All Stars XI contains many big games likely to draw huge crowds in both T20 matches.
Dr Shah confirmed that all the 16 members chosen to constitute the Pakistan Stars XI, led by Shahid Afridi, were available for the both the matches.
The other members of the team are Younis Khan, Nasir Jamshed, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Imran Nazir, Shahzeb Hasan, Khalid Latif, Fawad Alam, Zulqarnain Haider, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Faisal Iqbal and Anwar Ali.