London: Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf will meet International Cricket Council (ICC) president Malcolm Gray in Islamabad on Thursday to press for the country's full restoration to the international cricket calendar.
Fixtures in Pakistan began to be called off in the wake of last year's September 11 terror attacks. "Pakistan cricket is dealing with a number of very difficult challenges and the ICC is anxious to ensure that it has a full understanding of the facts and to provide assistance where it is possible," Gray, in a statement issued from the world governing body's London headquarters on Wednesday, said. "As both the President of the nation and the patron of the PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board), General Musharraf will be able to help us better understand the challenges facing the PCB and possible areas in which the ICC can assist," he added. Earlier on Wednesday, PCB chairman Lieutenant General Tauqir Zia, who will also attend the delegation's meeting with Musharraf, said of Gray's visit, "It is a fact- finding mission just like the one he did in India." While in Islamabad Gray and ICC vice-president Eshan Mani, a London-based Pakistani, will also hold talks with the High Commissioners (Ambassadors) of India, Australia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. They will then travel to Lahore where the ICC development committee meeting is taking place. Meanwhile Zia spoke of his desire for normal cricket relations to be resumed as soon as possible. "We hope the rest of the world agrees to visit us," he said. Pakistan was forced to play their series against the West Indies and Australia at neutral venues earlier this year. "Our stance is that now we won't play at neutral venues, and it would be only on the government's advice that we play at neutral venues," Zia said. The PCB will also use the opportunity to seek an end to India's two-year boycott on play with Pakistan over concerns Islamabad was not discouraging unrest in Indian- administered Kashmir, Zia said. Zia said he did not rule out considering the neutral venue option to break the ice. "If we get enough revenue, which we have lost already, it would be silly on our part not to consider playing at neutral venues with India because we don't want to lose any more money," he said.
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