ECB security experts arrive in Pakistan

Two England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) security experts arrived in the Pakistani city of Karachi to inspect venues for England's tour this year.

England have expressed safety concerns over playing in the southern port city on the tour which starts in October.

"These two experts will also visit Multan, Faisalabad, Lahore and Islamabad for the next week to inspect the match venues and security details," the director of operations of the the Pakistan Cricket Board's director of operations Abbas Zaidi told Reuters on Monday.

The two experts, Douglas Dick and Andy Allman, declined to comment.

Pakistan has ruled out holding a match in the north-western city of Peshawar, near the Afghan border, during England's tour.

Zaidi said the experts would be briefed by Interior Ministry officials in the capital, Islamabad, on security arrangements he described as elaborate.

ECB director of cricket operations John Carr and a representative of the English players' association Richard Bevan are due to arrive next week to finalise details of the tour.

Since the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States and subsequent increased security worries, only South Asian neighbours Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have played test matches in Karachi.

Other teams including Australia, West Indies and South Africa have shunned Karachi as a match venue because of security concerns.

Karachi has been hit by several suicide bomb attacks and other blasts since 2001.

In May 2002, New Zealand players returned home midway through their tour after a bomb blast just opposite their hotel in Karachi killed 14 people people.