Kumar Sangakkara encourages non-Asian teams to help Pakistan to slowly build their confidence as a cricketing nation.
Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) President and the captain of its 12-man squad, Kumar Sangakkara sternly stated that cricket is for everyone. ‘Cricket belongs to everyone, but for the players to have that platform and display their skills you need to have that support’.
‘So if there is no home cricket for a very long period of time, there is a danger that sometime that kind of hunger might go away. The more cricket that you play here at home, the more times young children and the fabulous fans of Pakistan can see their side, their players play in front of them, within almost touching distance’, he added.
He also cleared that touring Pakistan is now safe and that they would contribute a big impact in the cricket scene. After a terrorist attack in 2009, Pakistan had to play home matches in the United Arab Emirates while the Tests are only staged against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh with heavy security.
‘Security is always a major concern everywhere in the world. In Pakistan, I think, the steps that have been taken over the past few years have instilled great amounts of confidence in the cricketing nations beyond the shores of Pakistan, and slowly but surely that confidence is building up’, he said.
‘The MCC tour is a part of completing that puzzle, and I think this is a great step by everyone to combine and to be here to again try and encourage sides to come back and play cricket in Pakistan’, Sangakkara suggested.
Wasim Khan, Pakistan’s Cricket Board Chief Executive also stated that it was difficult for them to make the first step and to break the barrier of having non-Asian countries coming. He also told that MCC touring Pakistan is a big break for the country. In return, Sangakkara encourages sides to come back and play cricket in Pakistan.
The tour which started yesterday (13th of February) is until the 19th of February wherein it is a 50-over match and three T20 matches. To learn more about T20Is, check out Betwala’s page.
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