Afridi praises Zimbabwe 'courage' to tour Pakistan

Pakistan's Twenty20 captain Shahid Afridi Tuesday led his country in welcoming the Zimbabwe team and praised the visitors' "courage" after they became the first Test-playing nation to visit in six years.

Zimbabwe arrived early Tuesday under top-level security, and are set to play two Twenty20 internationals on Friday and Sunday followed by three one-day matches on May 26, 29 and 31, all in Lahore.

"I am delighted to see the return of international cricket to Pakistan," Afridi told AFP. "It is like the spring of cricket after six years of autumn."

"The courage of the Zimbabwe team must be praised and they delighted our fans who have been waiting for international cricket for quite some time now."

Zimbabwe are the first Test team to tour Pakistan since militants attacked the Sri Lankan team bus in March 2009, killing eight people and leading to the suspension of all international cricket in the country.

The tour was almost called off last week after gunmen massacred 45 minority Shiites in the city of Karachi, but in the end Zimbabwe decided to go ahead.

ODI captain Azhar Ali, who made his debut in 2010 and has never played at home, added it was a dream come true for players like himself.

"I am elated at the return of cricket to Pakistan," Ali told AFP. "It will be a special day for player like me who have not played before their home crowds and don't know the taste of playing on our grounds."

Besides Ali, six other team members - Umar Akmal, Junaid Khan, Rahat Ali, Mohammad Irfan, Asad Shafiq and Ahmed Shehzad - have not played in home conditions.

"Our fans have been deprived of watching their stars on their home grounds and this coming series will give inspiration to the young players," Ali said.

"I pray that this tour goes without any problem so that more and more teams come and play on our grounds," he added.

Plight

Zimbabwe's cricket chief said Tuesday his team had decided to tour Pakistan because they too had experienced the cost of isolation as the African team embarked on the first series by a Test playing country since 2009.

Speaking at a press conference alongside Captain Elton Chigumbura after arriving overnight in the city of Lahore, Ozias Bvute likened Pakistan's six years without top-flight cricket at home to the removal of Zimbabwe's Test status from 2005 to 2011.

"For many years Zimbabwe was isolated so therefore we understand the politics of isolation. We've therefore said no, isolation is not the right way," he said.

"We must break the barriers that exist in between us. We are therefore here to firm our position that brotherhood supercedes everything else and cricket unites us. We hope to give you a decent show."

Zimbabwe's Test status was removed after senior players quit to protest the sacking of then-captain Heath Streak, who was appointed after Andy Flower retired in a stand against the policies of the government of Robert Mugabe.

Bvute confirmed there were fears but denied any player was forced to tour.

"Being human beings those events (in Karachi) unnerved a lot of people and created doubts in members of our fraternity as whether it (the tour) was the right thing to do. We obviously weighed the pros and the cons of what we wanted to achieve," he said.

"The position was that our players were offered the opportunity to voluntarily come to Pakistan. They accepted the position and that's why we have (a) full strength team."

Chigumbura admitted the heightened security, featuring 6,000 policemen, was something new for his team, but said they were focused on cricketing matters.

"Obviously this is something new for us but, as I said, we are not worried about (that) as players and the main thing for us is to play cricket."

Zimbabwe will play two Twenty20 internationals on Friday and Sunday followed by three one-day internationals on May 26, 29 and 31 - all in Lahore.

 

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