Pak safe for hosting international cricket games: British universities Charity XI captain

Karachi, Apr 8(ANI): British universities Charity XI captain Kemal Alam has described Pakistan a safe country for hosting international tournaments and expressed hope that his team's tour to Pakistan will go a long way in reviving international cricket in the country.

"It has been a great tour and most importantly its great work for our charity (Afghan Appeal Fund) - We feel that it bridges the gap between Pakistan and England and shows that Pakistan is safe for cricket. That's what we came here for. Although we haven't won any matches, we have definitely won a few hearts and minds and PCB has shown to us that being an English team, Pakistan is absolutely safe for international cricket," PakPassion.net quoted Alam, as saying.

He added that the people of Pakistan who deserved praise for keeping the cricketing spark alive in the country.

"In my view, more important than the security aspect is the love of the people - whether it's the staff at the NCA or the Punjab Police (Elite Force) or the people at the Gaddafi stadium who have been organizing the nets or the matches," he added.

His statement came at a reception hosted by the Pakistan Cricket Board in his team's honour.

PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraf also echoed Kemal's views about Pakistan's love for the game and hoped that their visit would open the gates for future visits by national teams.

"The feedback from the people of Lahore is great as you must have witnessed from the match - they were cheering their own Under 19 team but also our brothers from Britain. So I think that this is a message to the rest of the world that Pakistan is a safe country - it's a country that is in a position to have international cricket on its soil," he added. (ANI)