Zimbabwe confirm cricket team’s tour of Pakistan

Zimbabwe will fly to Pakistan on Sunday for a limited-overs tour, their coach Dav Whatmore has confirmed.

The tour, the first in six years by a Test-playing nation to Pakistan, was throw in doubt last week when a terrorist attack on a bus killed 47 people in Karachi.

“The tour is going ahead and we leave tonight,” Whatmore said via telephone from Harare.

Zimbabwe will play two Twenty20 internationals, starting on May 22, and a three-match ODI series that begins four days later.

All the matches are in Lahore.

Zimbabwe Cricket released a statement on Thursday saying a decision had been reached not to tour on the advice of the country’s supreme sports regulatory authority, the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC).

However, just minutes later the statement was withdrawn and Zimbabwe Cricket spokesman Lovemore Banda said discussions were still ongoing.

Additional security

It is understood that concerns also emanated from the players themselves, some of who were reluctant to travel but have now been persuaded to tour after additional security measures were announced by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

Meanwhile, the International Cricket Council will not be sending its match officials for the series.

It cited a report by a security consultant who advised against sending a team of officials to the country.

The PCB has, therefore, appointed its own officials.

Zimbabwe are the first Test-playing nation to tour Pakistan since a 2009 gun attack on Sri Lanka’s team bus in Lahore left six Pakistani policemen and a van driver dead. Some players and a local umpire were injured.

Boarding the plane to pakistan for what promises to be a great series VS @TheRealPCB Insha ALLAH all goes well for both teams and countries

— Sikandar Raza (@SRazaB24) May 17, 2015