day series against Australia this August in Sri Lanka, a senior board official said Tuesday. “In principle we have decided to hold the series against Australia in August in Sri Lanka but we are negotiating with the Sri Lankan board for a favorable deal,” Pakistan Cricket Board chief operating officer Subhan Ahmed told Reuters. Four One-Day Internationals and three Twenty20 games are planned. “The venues in Sri Lanka where we will hold the matches will be decided soon. The Australians have also not expressed any reservations over playing in Sri Lanka,” Ahmed said. Pakistan has been playing its “home” series in the UAE since foreign teams refused to visit the country after a 2009 gun attack on the Sri Lanka side. Ahmed said the UAE had been ruled out of contention because the weather in August would be too hot. “In case we don't reach a cost effective deal with the Sri Lankan board, South Africa is the alternate neutral venue for us,” Ahmed said. The PCB has invited Bangladesh to break the mould and play a one-day series in Pakistan in April. Ahmed said the PCB was still waiting for a positive response from the Bangladesh board. “With time running out it appears difficult they will send its team to Pakistan which would be a shame,” he added. “A series against Bangladesh at a neutral venue is not cost effective for us so that is not in our planning.” The PCB Chairman, Zaka Ashraf, has meanwhile said he is in talks with couple of other countries if Bangladesh's national team fails to receive government clearance to tour next month because of security concerns. “I don't want to disclose the names of the countries, but we are in touch with at least two (cricket) boards,” Ashraf said. “If Bangladesh says no, we have a couple of other options too.” Bangladesh's cricket board has submitted a security report on Pakistan to its government after president Mustafa Kamal led a nine-member delegation to the country earlier this month. Kamal had said before leaving Pakistan he was satisfied with the security arrangements, but the board is still waiting for clearance from the government.
