Flamboyant West Indian opener and self-proclaimed ‘Universe Boss’ Chris Gayle has backed Pakistan to host International cricket claiming the country to be “one of the safest places right now in the world”.
In a media interaction in Dhaka, where Gayle is present as part of his Bangladesh Premier League commitment with Chattogram Challengers, Gayle stated, “Pakistan is one of the safest places right now in the world. They say you will get presidential security so you are in good hands. I mean we are in good hands too in Bangladesh, right?” as quoted by IANS.
Notably, Sri Lanka had recently become the first team to tour Pakistan for a Test series in a decade. After the successful completion of the series in Pakistan, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Ehsan Mani had declared that Pakistan is safe and ready to host International matches.
“We have proved that Pakistan is safe, if someone isn’t coming then they should prove that it’s unsafe. At this time, India is a far greater security risk than Pakistan,” Mani had said as quoted by IANS.
“No one should now doubt security arrangements in Pakistan after successful Sri Lanka Test series. This is a turning point for revival of Test cricket in Pakistan. Media and fans played an important role in portraying a positive image of Pakistan worldwide,” he added.
After the Sri Lanka series, the Pakistan Cricket Board has reportedly invited Bangladesh for three T20Is and a couple of Test matches. However, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has not yet made a final decision concerning the same after their proposal to co-host the series was turned down by the PCB.
However, there has been no official announcement on the issue.
(With inputs from IANS)