da jogodeouro： The first Test series at a neutral venue in modern daycricket between Pakistan and the West Indies would be playedat Sharjah between Jan 31 and Feb 17, highly placed sourcessaid
10-Jan-2002The first Test series at a neutral venue in modern daycricket between Pakistan and the West Indies would be playedat Sharjah between Jan 31 and Feb 17, highly placed sourcessaid.The first Test has been slated between Jan 31 and Feb 4while the second Test will be played between Feb 7 and 11.The three one-day internationals will be played on alternatedays on Feb 13, 15 and 17, sources added, saying theitinerary would be officially released soon.The PCB Tuesday reluctantly agreed to host the West Indiesin Sharjah after the once mighty team but now the whippingboys of international cricket refused to tour citingsecurity concerns. Australia and South Africa last battledin a Test in a third country (England) almost 90 years agowhile Pakistan hammered Sri Lanka in 1999 Asian TestChampionship final at Dhaka.Meanwhile, West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) president WesHall has expressed his delight over the shifting of theseries to Sharjah.”This is great news. My prayers have been answered. I thankthe Lord for coming to our help, as he has done in agespast,” Hall was quoted as saying in West Indies newspapers.”This (series in Sharjah) is very OK with me. Bangladeshwould have been OK as well, but most of our players haveplayed in Sharjah more so than Bangladesh, so we should bemore comfortable in Sharjah,” Hall added. “I felt it wouldbe a nicer thing for all concerned if they were to acquiesceto our suggestion, taken a while ago, to play at a neutralvenue.”