LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Najam Sethi is positive aboutNew Zealand touring Pakistan after the Blackcaps said they are consideringthe request. New Zealand and Australia will play a series against Pakistanat a neutral venue, the UAE, later this year but Sethi is hopeful that someof the matches can take place on home soil.

“We are currently in talks with Australia and New Zealand, who have aseries coming up with Pakistan in the UAE or Malaysia, as the case may be,in October, November and December of this year,” said Sethi in an interviewwith PakPassion.net. “New Zealand, in theory, have said yes, that they willconsider our request, provided we think the security is OK. If that is thecase, they may play one or two games in Pakistan.”

Sethi stressed on the importance of the gradual return of internationalcricket in Pakistan while also praising the way Pakistan cricket, ingeneral, has progressed of late. “We have the step-by-step return ofinternational cricket to Pakistan as well as the success of the PakistanSuper League (PSL),” he said.

“The Pakistan cricket team is clicking together based upon the policy ofappointing well-qualified foreign coaches in charge and exacting ahigh-standard from our cricketers and instilling motivation as well asdiscipline in them.” The pay dispute between Zimbabwe cricketers and theirboard has put Pakistan’s tour to the country in jeopardy where they play atri-series involving Australia, but Sethi said things are on track as faras he knows.

“I have asked my staff to check with Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) as there havebeen all sorts of media reports about some issues cropping up within ZC.They have rechecked, and they say everything is on track for this series,”he said.

While talking about the contract extension of head coach Mickey Arthur,Sethi said that it was too early to talk about that matter but he was alsodelighted to see Pakistan progress nicely under the South African.

“I think Mickey is having a good ride and the entire team is doing well inhis tenure. He told me that ‘Mr Sethi, I am here, and I am taking this teamall the way to the World Cup’. Then we will cross that bridge when we cometo it and I think let’s leave it at that for now,” he said.

“We are very delighted with Mickey’s performance and also the fact that theboys respond well to him.” Sethi also reiterated that the Asia Cup willtake place in United Arab Emirates (UAE) and as things stand there is nochange in that decision.