By IANS,
Karachi : The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) suffered a setback Friday when Cricket South Africa (CSA) refused to host its A team’s tour for this year.
The CSA has informed the PCB that it will not be able to host the six-week-long series against Pakistan A in August-September as it has to stage a series of high-profile cricket events this year.
“The South Africans have informed us that they will be unable to host our A team this year as they are hosting IPL (Indian Premier League) and the Champions Trophy,” said Aamir Sohail, PCB’s director of Game Development.
South Africa has become a hub of international cricket activities after accepting the offer to host the second edition of the IPL as well as the Champions Trophy – the second biggest event of the International Cricket Council (ICC) after the quadrennial World Cup.
The IPL that begins in South Africa from April 18 was shifted out of India as it clashed with country’s general elections.
The cancellation of the Pakistan A tour to South Africa is bad news for PCB which is making efforts to raise a strong second string team.
Pakistan A was to play three four-day games and five one-dayers after a three-day practice game.