KARACHI, (Reuters):
PAKISTAN, DEPRIVED of international cricket since August because of the war in Afghanistan, has given a written assurance to the West Indies that the country is a safe place to visit.
The West Indies tour, scheduled to take place from late January to the first week of March, has been in doubt since the US military action in Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks in New York and Washington.
"We sent the letter of assurance immediately after the Sri Lankan under-19 team returned home safely after playing in Pakistan," Cricket Board director Brigadier Munawwar Rana said yesterday.
"We have told them that there is nothing wrong with playing the series in Pakistan as everything is normal and that we will provide every care to their players."
The Sri Lankan under-19s won their final one-dayer on November 28 to take the series 4-1 before returning home.
West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) operations manager Michael Hall said in Antigua: "The (West Indies) team's management is now reviewing the proposals and we are awaiting to see whether there will be any concerns."
Hall added that he could not go into detail about the tour since the WICB had not officially approved the match schedule proposals.
Pakistan has been starved of international cricket since the September 11 attacks.
New Zealand cancelled their scheduled tour in September and Sri Lanka pulled out of a replacement one-day series in October
West Indies players selected for the Pakistan tour will miss the early rounds of the 2002 Busta Cup Series, which is due to start on January 25.
Hall said: "We expect the international players will be back in time for at least the last two rounds of the Busta Cup as well as the International Shield semi-finals and final.
The Shield final is scheduled for March 22 to 25.
