No ICC umpires for Zim tour

KARACHI. — Cricket’s governing body said yesterday it would not send its neutral umpires for the Pakistan-Zimbabwe series after receiving a report from a security consultant, allowing the hosts to use their own officials. Zimbabwe is set to become the first Test-playing nation to tour Pakistan in six years after Pakistan was suspended by international cricket following a March 2009 attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has said it received confirmation from Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) for the tour to play two Twenty20 (May 22 and 24) and three one-day internationals (May 26, 29 and 31) — all in Lahore.

The tourists are expected to arrive early tomorrow.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) said it would not send its umpires for the tour.

“The ICC today advised the PCB and ZC that it will not be appointing its match officials for the upcoming series. The ICC’s decision has been made after receiving a report from its security consultant,” the council said in a statement.

The PCB confirmed that it would appoint its own umpires, which may include an umpire from Zimbabwe as well.

The ICC said it decided in April that the mandatory requirement of neutral umpires for international matches would be waived due to security conditions in Pakistan should the series go ahead. It assured that “the matches would still be considered ‘official cricket’ even though they will not be played strictly in accordance with the ICC standard playing conditions.”

Zimbabwe had suspended the tour on Thursday following an attack in Karachi which left 45 people dead, before reversing the decision 24 hours later.

No major foreign team has toured Pakistan in the last six years, forcing the national team to play all its home matches at neutral venues in United Arab Emirates.

Ticket sales for the series started on Saturday, with police conducting a dress rehearsal of the security arrangements for the tourists.

Pakistan has promised head-of-state-like security for Zimbabwe with 6 000 officers involved.

Zimbabwe Cricket confirmed the upcoming tour to Pakistan against the advice of the country’s Sports Commission. The board’s final decision comes after three days of debate, which began on Thursday when ZC issued a Press release suspending the tour and 20 minutes later sent an email retracting it. In the interim, the PCB had told journalists that ZC had been in contact with it and had reassured that the tour would take place as scheduled.

ESPNcricinfo understands that Zimbabwe’s players were made to sign indemnity forms after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs advised that a visit to Pakistan would not be safe. As a result, the Sports Commission would not give permission for the tour to take place unless the players were going of their own accord, as the forms now state.

Several players were hesitant to make the trip, with a few even considering pulling out, but concerns over the impact that would have on the future of their careers forced them to change their minds.

All 16 squad members, which includes six returnees and one new cap, have agreed to travel to Pakistan for the two T20 and three ODI series which begins on May 22.

The visit makes Zimbabwe the first Test-playing nation to tour Pakistan since 2009, when an attack on the Sri Lankan team bus resulted in the suspension of international cricket from Pakistan.

Afghanistan and Kenya have both toured Pakistan in that time, without incident.

Zimbabwe have been promised VIP security which includes armed guards, an armed vehicle escort and helicopter monitoring of their travel in Lahore, the only city they will visit.

An advance delegation of ZC officials visited Pakistan in the first week of May for a thorough explanation of the measures that had been put in place to protect the players and were satisfied with what they were shown.

Despite that, the international player body FICA said their security report revealed that the risks of touring Pakistan were “unmanageable.”

The series will be Zimbabwe’s first post the 2015 World Cup and first without Brendan Taylor in seven years. —AFP-Cricnfo.