Pakistan will play five one-day internationals and a twenty20 game against Australia in the United Arab Emirates in April, a state-owned news agency said Wednesday. Cricket Australia was ready to play matches in Pakistan but the “Australian government was not allowing them to travel because of some security issues,” PCB chairman Ijaz Butt was quoted as saying by Associated Press of Pakistan. Butt met CA officials on Wednesday after attending a two-day International Cricket Council board meeting in Australia. The five one-day internationals will be played in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, starting from the third week of April. Butt said he persuaded CA officials to play few matches in Pakistan “but the proposal could not materialize.” Security concerns after a series of bombings kept Pakistan from playing any tests last year. Australia pulled out of a series in April, while West Indies also backed out of playing tests in Pakistan, but agreed instead to play three one-day internationals in Abu Dhabi. The latest blow to Pakistan cricket follows a decision by the International Cricket Council (ICC) Sunday to relocate the 2009 Champions Trophy away from the country. War spoils cricket – Imran Cricket legend Imran Khan warned Wednesday that Pakistan's national game was being damaged by the government's involvement in the US-led “war on terror”. Imran, who was responding to the ICC decision on Sunday to relocate the elite eight-nation Trophy from Pakistan to an undecided venue, said association with conflict was hugely damaging. “From economy to daily life to cricket, everything is hurt in Pakistan only because of our unnecessary involvement in war. Teams are refusing to come to Pakistan because of that war,” Imran said. Imran, who went into politics after retiring from cricket and heads his Tehrik-e-Insaaf (Movement for Justice) party, said tour cancelations have left Pakistan cricket poorer. Imran accused the cricket world and the ICC of double standards when it came to Pakistan.
