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Page last updated at 09:36 GMT, Thursday, 23 October 2008 10:36 UK

Headingley may host Pakistan Test

Headingley Stadium
Headingley could play host to Pakistan in two years' time

Yorkshire could host a Pakistan 'home' Test at Headingley if a deal can be agreed with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

Due to the security situation in the country, Pakistan and the ECB have discussed playing a series of matches in England in 2010 and 2011.

Yorkshire chief executive Stewart Regan told the Yorkshire Post: "We have already made our points to the ECB.

"We would be more than happy to stage a Pakistan 'home' Test."

Pakistan have struggled to find opponents this year due to the difficult security situation in the country, with a tour by Australia and the Champions Trophy both postponed.

This week new Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ijaz Butt revealed they had discussed with the ECB the possibility of playing three 'home' Tests and five one-dayers, as well as Twenty20 matches, in England in 2010 and 2011.

The credit crunch brings new challenges with it and it's not challenges that are within the control of Yorkshire County Cricket Club

Yorkshire chief executive Stewart Regan
Yorkshire chief executive Regan added: "We believe it would be popular and well received in light of our location and our access to the highly-populated Asian areas in and around Bradford.

"Nothing will happen in the short term, but we will wait to see what transpires."

Yorkshire's hopes of hosting Pakistan depend on the �21m redevelopment of Headingley, which is scheduled to take place during 2009, and Regan is confident the current financial crisis affecting the global economy will not put the plans in jeopardy.

He continued: "As you can imagine, we are doing a lot of reworking of our financial projections; we are having a lot of discussions with our investors.

"We are hopeful that once all of those have been concluded that we will still be able to progress the pavilion as it was originally planned.

"Certainly, we are very optimistic that the programme can be commenced as per the original timescale, but the credit crunch brings new challenges with it and it's not challenges that are within the control of Yorkshire County Cricket Club."

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see also
Australia postpone Pakistan tour
11 Mar 08 |  Cricket


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