Pak set to play Aussies at neutral venue

Pakistan coach Mudassar Nazar says his team are prepared to play against Australia on neutral soil after the Australians cancelled their October test tour of Pakistan for security reasons.

"We want to play this series against such quality opposition, even if it has to be at a neutral venue," Nazar told Reuters on Saturday in Morocco, where Pakistan are taking part in a triangular one-day tournament.

"We do not want to miss out on this series. It is disappointing not being able to play at home, but our players have become accustomed to playing at neutral venues," he added.

Australia announced in Melbourne on Friday that they had called off their three-test tour of Pakistan planned for October because of security fears.

The announcement came on the same morning that a grenade attack on a missionary hospital near Islamabad killed three Pakistani nurses and injured another 23 people.

Security concerns had already been heightened when six Pakistanis were shot dead in an attack on a school for children of foreign missionaries near Islamabad on Monday.

The Australian Cricket Board (ACB) has said it hopes the series can be played on neutral soil, while the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has threatened an Asian cricket bloc boycott.

THINKING TWICE

"It is disappointing to face such a situation. I feel especially sorry for our people, but if I had been in Australia's position, I would also have thought twice," Nazar said.

A string of recent cricket tours to Pakistan have been affected due to safety fears.

The triangular one-day series has already been moved to Kenya, New Zealand pulled out of its tour after a bomb attack killed 11 French people in May and a tour by West Indies was played on neutral territory in Sharjah.

The ACB confirmed on Friday that their one-day series in Nairobi involving Kenya and Pakistan would proceed as planned starting on August 29.

The International Cricket Council said on Friday it would do its best to help Pakistan and Australia find an alternative venue for the series.

"We can't afford to not play such a big series before the World Cup," said Nazar. "The team is now in the habit of winning matches and this is the best time to face Australia."

Mail Cricket Editor