By IANS,
Karachi : Pakistan Saturday hailed International Cricket Council (ICC) decision to turn Wednesday’s warm-up match against India in England into a fund-raiser for the victims of the attacks on the Sri Lanka cricket team in Lahore this March.
Pakistan and India will play the match at the Oval as a warm-up for the World Twenty20 that starts June 5.
Ijaz Butt, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, said that he was happy to note that the ICC has not forgotten the victims of the Lahore attack.
“The attack in Lahore was a terrible shock and we have immense sympathy for all those who were affected by the incident,” said Butt. “The PCB provided support to the families of the victims immediately after the attack and it is encouraging to see the rest of the cricket world coming together in this way.”
Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam also praised the move to collect funds for the victims of the Lahore attack that left several Pakistanis dead and injured. Seven of the Sri Lankan cricketers were also injured in the attack.
“The (ICC) Board wanted to do something to assist the families of the victims of the terror attacks on the Sri Lanka team and match officials in March, and using this high-profile match with a sell-out crowd as a vehicle to do that makes excellent sense,” ICC president David Morgan said in a statement.
India defeated Pakistan in the inaugural edition of the World Twenty20 in South Africa in 2007.
The defending champions are in Group A along with Bangladesh and Ireland.
Pakistan’s opponents in Group B are hosts England and the Netherlands. Pakistan will play its opening match of the biennial spectacle against England June 7.