After the unfortunate terror attack on the Sri Lanka cricket team in 2009 in Lahore, Pakistan have been playing their home matches in the UAE. Top cricket nations are not yet convinced about safety in Pakistan.
IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla believes that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) should turn Pakistan into a safe venue after which international teams will come and play in their country, including India.
"If Pakistan continues to play in UAE its cricket will slowly suffer. Lahore can easily be made into a safe venue," Shukla said on Geo News channel.
"If Lahore is made a safe venue then everyone will come and play there," Shukla said.
Pakistan is tentatively scheduled to host India in the UAE as well, but the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is not keen to play in the UAE despite other teams having played in the country. Pakistan are presently hosting England in the UAE at present.
Shukla even said that the India cricket team are willing to play in Lahore if they provide proper safety to the players in their country.
"If PCB makes Lahore a safe venue by constructing a team hotel near it and by providing adequate security, then India will have no objection to playing in Lahore," he said.
PCB playing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) card
The PCB has been pushing the BCCI to fulfil the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the two cricket boards in the presence of ICC representatives. The BCCI had then agreed that India would play Pakistan six times in eight years, including the December series.
Pakistan have used all their cards to convince India to host them in December in UAE, but the BCCI wants the men in green to play in India and have assured them greater 'participation fees' as well. However, the PCB has made it clear that they are not going to play in India.
"We are saying this time come and play in India. We are ready to compensate for the home series losses. We will give bigger participation fees and when things improve in Pakistan we will go there and play one or two series. We have no issues," said Shukla.
