JAMES COYNE: Chief executive Tom Harrison, security advisor Reg Dickasonand ECB board director Martin Darlow, a former policeman with a securityand integrity brief, were part of a team alongside officials from CricketIreland[image: harrison111001]
James Coynelink | 11/10/2019linkat14:21
ECB officials have visited Pakistan in an important step towards Englandrestoring overseas tours of the country.
Chief executive Tom Harrison, security advisor Reg Dickason and ECB boarddirector Martin Darlow, a former senior police detective now with asecurity and integrity brief, were part of a fact-finding mission alongsideofficials from Cricket Ireland to see the state of play during the Pakistanv Sri Lanka T20I series in Lahore, The Cricketer has reported.
England are not scheduled to play Pakistan away until late 2022, so thereis some breathing space for the ECB until deciding if they can clear theirplayers to go to Pakistan. If not, the series looks likely to place in theUAE again, as most of Pakistan’s recent series have.
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At the moment England are committed through the Future Tours Programme toplay three Tests and five ODIs against Pakistan in late 2022, leading intothe 2023 World Cup in India the following February.
The Pakistan Cricket Board have managed to persuade only Zimbabwe and SriLanka (twice) to play ODIs and T20Is on Pakistani soil since the 2009Lahore attack on the Sri Lanka team bus. There was also a World XI visit in2017/18, and the Pakistan Super League has flown players in from the UAE,including English players like Dawid Malan and Chris Jordan.
This time Sri Lanka played ODIs in Karachi and T20Is in Lahore, winningthat series.
