Elliott hopes landmark tour will pave the way

Former New Zealand all-rounder Grant Elliott hopes that the World XI's tour to Pakistan will pave the way for the entirety of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) to be played in the country as well as help international cricket return.

International teams have refused to tour Pakistan since 2009 after the Sri Lankan team bus was attacked. The UAE has been Pakistan's 'home' away from home since then but small steps have been taken in the recent past to revive international cricket in the country.

Zimbabwe made a short tour of Pakistan in 2015, while more recently, the PSL final was held in Lahore. A 14-member World XI squad, captained by South African skipper Faf du Plessis, are set to play three T20 Internationals against Pakistan at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, as part of the Independence, this week. It marks a huge step in cricket normalcy in Pakistan.

"That would be the ultimate, to go and do that," Elliott said about the entirety of the PSL to be held in Pakistan.

"But you have to assess all the security concerns. Once that is assessed, then you can sort of make a judgment call on something like that. At the moment, the tournament has been run really well in Dubai and I know they had the final in Pakistan. So, I guess it is for the officials to sort of organize," added Elliott, who played for the Lahore Qalandars in the PSL.

Nonetheless, Elliott said that they were excited about going to Pakistan. "It is exciting. I know a lot of the Pakistan guys now and they have spoken quite passionately about how they want to play at home, in front of their home crowd, which they don't get the luxury of doing. So, it is really exciting for us and there are a lot of guys in the change room who are excited to get there," the 38-year-old said.

For a country starved off top quality international cricket, the tour is a boon for Pakistan fans. It is understood that tickets are selling fast and it is expected to be a surreal atmosphere at the Gaddafi Stadium. Elliott said that it would be fantastic to play in such a surrounding.

"I don't think it is pressure, I think it is exciting, the whole excitement of the event. I've seen social media posts of fans that are going to the game and they just can't wait. They are counting down the hours, so, that's exciting. I've heard from Darren Sammy, he spoke about the Gaddafi Stadium and what it was like in the PSL final. So, the guys have a little bit of experience in the change room on what it may be like. So, all of that stuff is another chapter to a lot of the cricketers who haven't played in Pakistan. They can tick off Pakistan as a venue that they have played around the world," said Elliott.

Apart from helping Pakistan, the over-riding factor for Elliott is about making friendship and strong bonds with players with different cultures.

"Obviously, there was the security concerns about this and you look at relevant information that is given to us and then you assess it and make a decision with your family. Playing around the world, globally with T20, is something that has been very exciting and to play with different players with different cultures, in the change room as well as making friendships along the way is probably the lasting memories, not so much what happens on the field but what happens off the field with a lot of the guys that you play with, is something that will stay in my memory for a long time," he said.

Source: Khaleej Times