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SA to decide on tour of Pak tonight

Faisal Shariff in Mumbai | September 20, 2003 14:51 IST
Last Updated: September 20, 2003 18:14 IST


A bomb blast in Karachi on Friday has put South Africa's cricket tour of Pakistan in jeopardy.

The Proteas are scheduled to play their first Limited-Overs International at Karachi on September 26 and return to the volatile port city for the third Test from October 23 to 27.

Gerald Majola, chief executive officer of the United Cricket Board of South Africa, told rediff.com: "The South African high commission in Pakistan will issue an advisory tonight, which will decide the fate of the tour."

Majola had come to Mumbai for the two-day meeting of the International Cricket Council's cricket committee (management) that ended on Friday. He said Ian Smith, a senior UCB member, would reveal later tonight whether South Africa will go ahead with the tour of Pakistan.

The South Africans are scheduled to leave on Sunday for three LOIs and three Tests to be played at Lahore, Peshawar and Karachi, between September 26 and October 27.

The South Africans had decided to go ahead with the tour even though the South African government had advised the UCB to avoid Karachi and Peshawar after Pakistan's assurance of the best security.

A South African security delegation visited Pakistan to check out the security arrangements after Pakistan refused to change the venues for the matches.

Karachi has been the target of several bomb attacks, mainly on Western targets. These include a bombing in May 2002 outside the hotel where the New Zealand cricket team was staying. That had led New Zealand to instantly pull out of the tour.


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