Sri Lanka's commitment comes under cloud

The Pakistani cricket officials will meet with their new Sri Lankan counterparts later this week in a bid to salvage their planned home series.

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MUMBAI // The Pakistani cricket officials will meet with their new Sri Lankan counterparts later this week in a bid to salvage their planned home series following the sacking of the country's interim cricket board. Pakistan hope to convince the Sri Lankan representatives during the Asian Cricket Council meeting in Kuala Lumpur to go ahead with the tour amid concerns it will be scrapped by the new administrators. The president of the Sri Lanka cricket interim committee, Arjuna Ranatunga, last week had confirmed they would fill in after India declined, but he and his team were dismissed by the sports minister Gamini Lokuge on Tuesday.

Media reports quoted Lokuge as saying all decisions taken by Ranatunga would be reconsidered, throwing into doubt the scheduled tour, arranged after India aborted their trip to Pakistan in the wake of the recent Mumbai militant attacks. Speaking from Colombo, minutes after sacking interim committee chairman Arjuna Ranatunga, he said: "It is a news to me that he (Ranatungta) had committed to the PCB for this tour. He even did not consult the interm committee members.

"I would like India to come to Sri Lanka rather than our team participating in Pakistan. "I am yet to decide whether to hold elections for the Sri Lanka board or run one more interim committee". Saleem Altaf, the chief operating officer of the Pakistan board, said: "Right now it is their internal matter so we don't want to panic but we want to ensure the tour goes on. We badly need to have an international series at home. We are keen on hosting Sri Lanka even though we will not make much money. It is important to have Test cricket in our country."

* With agencies