Pakistan’s newly appointed head coach Wednesday urged the cricket world to better help his country’s efforts to revive international matches, damaged by security problems in the last decade.
Misbah-ul-Haq’s request comes two days before Pakistan takes on Sri Lanka in a series of three one-day internationals, the first in the country for four years, and as many Twenty20 internationals.
The Sri Lanka team was attacked in Lahore in 2009 and since then most international teams have refused to tour the South Asian country, leaving Pakistan to play nearly all their “home” games in the United Arab Emirates.
Zimbabwe was the first country to return in 2015, with Pakistan hosting the West Indies, Sri Lanka, and a World XI team since then.
The current series was hit by withdrawals of ten top Sri Lankan players over security fears but Sri Lanka’s cricket board received the all-clear from the defence ministry last week.
