Abdullah719
T20I Captain
- Joined
- Apr 16, 2013
- Runs
- 44,825
Kumar Sangakkara at a press conference after arriving in Lahore:
"It's been 47 years for the MCC and 10 years for me personally since I came to Pakistan. On behalf of the MCC and for me personally, we're thrilled to be here. Thank you to the PCB and especially Wasim. A tour to Pakistan by the MCC has been in discussion but until we saw the passion that Wasim had and saw the improvements and arrangements that have been made, it was an eye-opener. Following that presentation, the decision was swiftly made that it's time to actually come and tour this wonderful cricketing nation.
"I have immensely wonderful memories of playing in Pakistan, Lahore especially. In the Asian Test Championship finals in 2002, playing against the greats like Waqar Younis, there were also Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami, Abdul Razzaq, Shoaib Malik, they all played alongside Inzamam-ul-Haq.
"I saw the name boards that underscore the hundreds scored by domestic and international players have scored here. It underlines the importance of cricket being played at home in your own country.
"For a lot of the Pakistani players who are becoming greats in their own right, the Babar Azams, the Asad Shafiqs of today, for them to be unable to play cricket in front of their home fans on their home grounds and to have their names go up and be recognised was a great shame. But slowly cricket is coming back. SL was one of the first teams to return. As a fellow Sri Lankan and the president of the MCC, I'm so happy that we're able to do our part to try and encourage countries to look at Pakistan as one of the best cricketing destinations. It has been that in the past and I'm sure it will be that again very soon.
"Cricket goes a long way in engaging people from different countries. I remember in 1996 when SL was in need of assistance, the unified front that cricket nations showed to come and play in SL, to ensure that the message was sent that cricket was healthy and the country was safe. For us on this tour, it's about spreading that message, spreading the gospel of the MCC in terms of our views on international cricket and world cricket, and at the same time supporting Pakistan on its great journey back.
"We look forward to some wonderful cricket over the next few days. The MCC are very competitive, we're here to play some good cricket and hopefully try and win some games as well. It's great we have some tough opposition to play against.
"It's vital to have home games. Cricket belongs to everyone. You need to have youngsters getting inspired to take up the game. If there is no home cricket then there is a danger that kind of hunger might go away. The more cricket you play at home, the more times young children and fabulous fans of Pakistan can see their side, their players play in front of them within almost touching distance. That's great for the game and the country, and for the global game. We shouldn't lose sight of how important the strength of Pakistan is in that big picture of having global cricket in a healthy and strong state. The MCC tour is a part of completing that puzzle.
"Security is a major concern everywhere in the world. The steps taken in the past few years in Pakistan have instilled great amount of confidence in the cricketing nations beyond Pakistan. Slowly but surely, confidence is building up and the more that teams tour, the message becomes stronger and harder to ignore.
"This is an international tour in the sense that the MCC is an international club and is full of international players. The tour took a lot of groundwork.
"Since that attack in 2009, there has been consistent and constant efforts to bring cricket back to Pakistan and I have been a part of many of those conversations.
"The amount of work that Wasim Khan has done behind the scenes with the PCB is immense and without that and the constant back and forth discussions, this tour may not have happened. The fact that we're here shows that many of the concerns that were shared by cricketing nations have been addressed for us to play here.
"I think all the players who were there in 2009 would love to come back. A few have come in their private capacity but even together, I think the players will definitely be willing to come back. We have great memories of playing in Pakistan and touring here.
"Pakistani people have been some of the most hospitable people that I've ever met. Every time SL toured here, I've had wonderful memories. The food, the people, culture, traditions are wonderful and there's so much to love about coming to Pakistan, visiting it and playing cricket here. I love being back here, I have so many friends in the team and otherwise. I'm looking forward to my time here.
"Pakistan wickets and conditions are brilliant to play cricket in. I remember when I played in Lahore and also Karachi, the wickets weren't great for bowling but as a batsman, you always wanted to come and play as much as possible on these pitches.
"In the MCC team, I'm the only veteran, I'm the one who is going to handicap the team. The youngsters are keen, I'm keen to get back in, I'm hoping for a flat wicket but the others are hoping for some purchase so we can stay in the game."
"It's been 47 years for the MCC and 10 years for me personally since I came to Pakistan. On behalf of the MCC and for me personally, we're thrilled to be here. Thank you to the PCB and especially Wasim. A tour to Pakistan by the MCC has been in discussion but until we saw the passion that Wasim had and saw the improvements and arrangements that have been made, it was an eye-opener. Following that presentation, the decision was swiftly made that it's time to actually come and tour this wonderful cricketing nation.
"I have immensely wonderful memories of playing in Pakistan, Lahore especially. In the Asian Test Championship finals in 2002, playing against the greats like Waqar Younis, there were also Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami, Abdul Razzaq, Shoaib Malik, they all played alongside Inzamam-ul-Haq.
"I saw the name boards that underscore the hundreds scored by domestic and international players have scored here. It underlines the importance of cricket being played at home in your own country.
"For a lot of the Pakistani players who are becoming greats in their own right, the Babar Azams, the Asad Shafiqs of today, for them to be unable to play cricket in front of their home fans on their home grounds and to have their names go up and be recognised was a great shame. But slowly cricket is coming back. SL was one of the first teams to return. As a fellow Sri Lankan and the president of the MCC, I'm so happy that we're able to do our part to try and encourage countries to look at Pakistan as one of the best cricketing destinations. It has been that in the past and I'm sure it will be that again very soon.
"Cricket goes a long way in engaging people from different countries. I remember in 1996 when SL was in need of assistance, the unified front that cricket nations showed to come and play in SL, to ensure that the message was sent that cricket was healthy and the country was safe. For us on this tour, it's about spreading that message, spreading the gospel of the MCC in terms of our views on international cricket and world cricket, and at the same time supporting Pakistan on its great journey back.
"We look forward to some wonderful cricket over the next few days. The MCC are very competitive, we're here to play some good cricket and hopefully try and win some games as well. It's great we have some tough opposition to play against.
"It's vital to have home games. Cricket belongs to everyone. You need to have youngsters getting inspired to take up the game. If there is no home cricket then there is a danger that kind of hunger might go away. The more cricket you play at home, the more times young children and fabulous fans of Pakistan can see their side, their players play in front of them within almost touching distance. That's great for the game and the country, and for the global game. We shouldn't lose sight of how important the strength of Pakistan is in that big picture of having global cricket in a healthy and strong state. The MCC tour is a part of completing that puzzle.
"Security is a major concern everywhere in the world. The steps taken in the past few years in Pakistan have instilled great amount of confidence in the cricketing nations beyond Pakistan. Slowly but surely, confidence is building up and the more that teams tour, the message becomes stronger and harder to ignore.
"This is an international tour in the sense that the MCC is an international club and is full of international players. The tour took a lot of groundwork.
"Since that attack in 2009, there has been consistent and constant efforts to bring cricket back to Pakistan and I have been a part of many of those conversations.
"The amount of work that Wasim Khan has done behind the scenes with the PCB is immense and without that and the constant back and forth discussions, this tour may not have happened. The fact that we're here shows that many of the concerns that were shared by cricketing nations have been addressed for us to play here.
"I think all the players who were there in 2009 would love to come back. A few have come in their private capacity but even together, I think the players will definitely be willing to come back. We have great memories of playing in Pakistan and touring here.
"Pakistani people have been some of the most hospitable people that I've ever met. Every time SL toured here, I've had wonderful memories. The food, the people, culture, traditions are wonderful and there's so much to love about coming to Pakistan, visiting it and playing cricket here. I love being back here, I have so many friends in the team and otherwise. I'm looking forward to my time here.
"Pakistan wickets and conditions are brilliant to play cricket in. I remember when I played in Lahore and also Karachi, the wickets weren't great for bowling but as a batsman, you always wanted to come and play as much as possible on these pitches.
"In the MCC team, I'm the only veteran, I'm the one who is going to handicap the team. The youngsters are keen, I'm keen to get back in, I'm hoping for a flat wicket but the others are hoping for some purchase so we can stay in the game."
