da spicy bet： President of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) ReverendWes Hall returned home yesterday to wonderful news
Tony Cozier and Philip Spooner09-Jan-2002President of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) ReverendWes Hall returned home yesterday to wonderful news.On arriving at the Grantley Adams Airport from London, Halllearned for the first time that Pakistan, on the insistenceof the WICB, had decided to play their Test and One-DayInternational series in Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates.Bangladesh and Morocco were also submitted as alternativevenues.This is great news. My prayers have been answered. I thankthe Lord for coming to our help, as He has done in agespast, said Hall as he arrived accompanied by WICB vicepresident Val Banks and marketing official Chris Dehring.The trio, along with Teddy Griffith, met over the weekendwith British Sky Broadcasting officials.This is very OK with me. Bangladesh would have been OK aswell, but most of our players would have played in Sharjahmoreso than Bangladesh, so we should be more comfortable inSharjah, Hall added.I felt it would be a nicer thing for all concerned if theywere to acquiesce to our suggestion, taken a while ago, toplay in a neutral venue.The former West Indies bowling great said it was never theWICB’s call to nominate a venue, but Sharjah was always thepreferred choice. He added it would have nagged hisconscience if he had sent the team to Pakistan and some illbefell the members.When they offered Sharjah and Bangladesh Morocco would havebeen too hot we said we preferred Sharjah, but it was theircall. We said: `Why don’t you suggest an alternative for ourconcurrence’? Now, everyone is happy.The itinerary has been reduced to two Tests and three One-Day Internationals from the three Tests and three One-DayInternationals scheduled for Pakistan from January 25 toMarch 6.The WICB repeatedly advised the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)of its concern for the security of its players because ofthe continuing American bombing and military action inneighbouring Afghanistan and the escalation of bordertensions between Pakistan and India.We were considering Bangladesh, Tangiers (Morocco) andSharjah among the neutral venues, but we opted for Sharjahbecause we can generate more revenues from television rightsand sponsorships, (PCB) chairman Tauqir Zia said.Mazhar Khan, administrator of the Emirates Cricket Board,said his board was honoured and delighted to be hosting theseries.We have a very short time to prepare, but then we are prettyexperienced in hosting matches. Sharjah has already playedhost to 181 One-Day matches so far and the experience willcome in handy, Mazhar added. It will be an historic momentfor us when we host the first Test match here.Pakistan start the first of two Tests against lowlyBangladesh in Dhaka today, their first taste ofinternational cricket since they beat England in the finalTest in Manchester last June to level a two-match series.Their cricket has been hit hard after the September 11attacks on the United States and the subsequent UnitedStates-led bombing of neighbouring Afghanistan.Tours by New Zealand and Sri Lanka were cancelled and Indiaalso pulled out of a full series and an Asian TestChampionship match at Lahore, causing the PCB an estimatedrevenue loss of US$8 to US$10 million.We would have liked to have the series in Pakistan but, ifthis cannot be, we feel it should be played at a neutralvenue so that we do not suffer any more loss of revenue, Ziasaid.