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Pakistan will try lining up a tour of Australia next month if they are not allowed to host September’s ICC Champions Trophy.

Starved of top-class cricket, Pakistan might request teams like England and South Africa to host them for a three-week series in case the Aussies are unwilling to oblige.

Sources in the PCB told ‘The News’ on Saturday that Pakistan’s worst fears will come true if the Champions Trophy is not held according to schedule from September 12 to 28 and their team is left without any international cricket this fall.

Pakistan are already going through their worst year in recent times as they were left without a single Test in 2008 following Australia’s decision to ‘postpone’ their tour earlier this year because of security concerns.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had to line up One-day Internationals against minnows Zimbabwe and Bangladesh to fill in blank spots in their future tour programme following Australia’s refusal to tour the country. The highest point of their international season at home came earlier this summer when they hosted the six-nation Asia Cup.

If the Champions Trophy is not held next month then Pakistani cricketers will be left without any assignment till November when they play the West Indies in an ODI series in Abu Dhabi.

According to the sources, PCB officials will make contact with several Test-playing nations to hastily arrange some Test and one-dayers in September if today’s Champions Trophy call doesn’t go in their favour.

They are well aware that neither of the leading teams, except for India and Sri Lanka, will agree to visit Pakistan which is why they will try arranging for the team’s tour in September.

Pakistan can arrange for a tri-nation series involving India and Sri Lanka but are unlikely to go for this option as the two teams just recently played here in the Asia Cup.

The Board is trying to convince the West Indies to come and play a three-match Test in Pakistan in November soon after the one-dayers in Abu Dhabi.

“The Board is desperate to fix matches against one or two top teams between September and November because Pakistan cricket is suffering because of insufficient cricket this year,” said the source.

Source:Cricket News

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