Agence France Presse

Lahore, February 9

An Indian security delegation arrived here on Monday to clear the last hurdles in a planned cricket series with Pakistan, the first in this country for 14 years.

“They (Indian delegation) have arrived in Lahore to assess security and other aspects of the tour,” Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) operations general manager Zakir Khan said. “We have already committed that we will provide the best security to the team,” Khan said. “It is a reconnaissance tour, and besides security they (Indians) will assess different aspects of the tour, which include ground and accommodation facilities.”

The BCCI decided to send the security delegation after some players reportedly expressed concerns over security in Pakistan.

Senior police official and security expert Yashovardhan Azad heads the team with Ratnakar Shetty, joint secretary of the BCCI, and Amrit Mathur, media manager and a former administrative manager of the national team.

The delegation will assess security at all the venues for a three-day side game, three Tests and five one-day games to be played in March-April. The itinerary for the series will be finalised only after the delegation submits its report to the BCCI, which has a proposed itinerary from the PCB.