ISLAMABAD: The head of the Pakistan Cricket Board and the UK high commissioner to Islamabad met ex-premier Imran Khan on Tuesday to seek assurances that a planned political rally would not disrupt an upcoming Test series between Pakistan and England due to start on Dec. 1 in Rawalpindi, ESPNcricinfo reported on Wednesday.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party of Khan released footage on social media showing the former premier — who is recovering in Lahore from gunshot wounds after an attempted assassination earlier this month — meeting with Ramiz Raja, the PCB chairman, and Christian Turner, the British high commissioner.
“Imran assured Ramiz and Turner that the Rawalpindi Test, due to get underway in just over a week’s time, will not be affected by the long march, ESPNcricinfo reported, referring to an ongoing protest march by Khan followers which started from Lahore last month and is expected to reach Rawalpindi this Saturday.
The venue of the England-Pakistan series opener at Pindi Stadium has been the subject of uncertainty due to the planned protest march. Over the weekend, the ex-premier announced he would join the march in Rawalpindi on November 26, from where demonstrators would move on to the capital.
England are scheduled to fly out from Abu Dhabi to Islamabad the same evening.
“The PCB do have a back-up itinerary in place, which would see the first Test taking place in Karachi. However, they did reaffirm their intentions to go ahead with Rawalpindi over the weekend,” the cricket website said.
“As a former Pakistan captain — the country’s most successful — Imran was the PCB’s board patron until his removal from office, and he will be keenly aware of the timing of his rally and its potential implications on England’s series, their first Test tour of the country since 2005.”
After Rawalpindi, the series will move to Multan (December 9-13) and then Karachi (December 17-21) for the final Test.
