Kenya and Zimbabwe invited to Sharjah Cup

Kenya and Zimbabwe have been invited to replace South Africa in next month's Sharjah Cup, organisers said on Wednesday.

The tri-nation event, which was to feature South Africa, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, had been planned for April 1-10 but organisers were forced to reschedule after South Africa pulled out because of the Gulf conflict. The event has been rescheduled for April 3-10.

"The two countries are awaiting clearance from their respective governments," Qasim Noorani, president of the CBFS, said on Wednesday night.

"If they are cleared for participation, we will have a four-nation tournament. We are confident of getting at least one of the two countries to participate," he said.

"Our deadline is Thursday afternoon and only after that will we know whether we have a three or four-nation tournament," he said.

Pakistan and Sri Lanka have already agreed to participate.

The CBFS also explored the possibility of staging the event in Colombo, but "South Africa is not prepared to play there," Noorani said.