Yorkshire ready to host Pakistan "home" matches!!!!

[Precambrian]

Yorkshire have said they are keen to stage Pakistan 'home' matches at their Headingley headquarters ground.

The security situation in Pakistan, which led to the postponement of both a tour by Australia and this year's Champions Trophy one-day tournament, has left the Asian nation struggling for international fixtures.

England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) officials and their Pakistan counterparts are due to hold talks about the possibility of Pakistan Tests, one-day and Twenty20 fixtures being played during the 2010 and 2011 English seasons.

Recent matches between England and Pakistan at Headingley have often seemed like 'home' games for the tourists such is the noisy and large support they draw from local Asian communities at the Leeds venue in northern England.

Yorkshire chief executive Stewart Regan told the Yorkshire Post: "We have already made our points to the ECB and if the opportunity came along, then Yorkshire County Cricket Club would be more than happy to stage a Pakistan 'home' Test.

"We believe it would be popular and well received in light of our location and our access to the highly-populated Asian areas in and around Bradford."

All of the English county's plans are contingent upon the successful 21 million pounds redevelopment of Headingley, due to take place in 2009, and Regan said he was optimistic the recent global 'credit crunch' would not cause lengthy delays.

"As you can imagine, we are doing a lot of reworking of our financial projections; we are having a lot of discussions with our investors."

AFP

http://www.smh.com.au/news/sport/cr...an-home-matches/2008/10/24/1224351495185.html



Fair nuff on second thought, considering the number of supporters there as the article states.

 

[Richard]

Been suggested several times before. As I've said on each of those occasions, it'd be something that could quite easily work a treat, but it'd be a hell of a leap of faith. I'm (relatively) familiar with the area having grown-up there and still regularly-ish returning there to see friends, and I'd be pretty confident that such a staging of games could be successful. But the PCB aren't familiar with it. However, I'd reckon crowds there would be considerably larger than anything you'd get at a Test at the Gaddafi or National Stadiums.

Also, Headingley should suit Pakistan's seamers down to the ground - if they've got any left by the time they play there.

Not sure at all how TV deals would work though. If Pakistan could play "at home" overseas without making a net loss I'm sure they'd have done it long before now.

 

[Precambrian]

But consider a Pakistan "home" match vs England at Headingley. I mean at the outset it would look farcical!

Not to mention the complications with the broadcast rights. And will PCB have the right to prepare wickets?

And how come such an arrangement be valid for a whole test series, unless it is a one-off?

 

[andruid]

But consider a Pakistan "home" match vs England at Headingley. I mean at the outset it would look farcical!

Not to mention the complications with the broadcast rights. And will PCB have the right to prepare wickets?

And how come such an arrangement be valid for a whole test series, unless it is a one-off?

At least ther will be a huge turn out. I know for a fact there is a huge Pakistani presence in the Headingley-Hyde park area as well as in Harehills/Roundhay Road. Old Trafford the Oval could chip in an that would be enough for a 3 match series.

 

[Richard]

But consider a Pakistan "home" match vs England at Headingley. I mean at the outset it would look farcical!

Not to mention the complications with the broadcast rights. And will PCB have the right to prepare wickets?

And how come such an arrangement be valid for a whole test series, unless it is a one-off?

I don't think the proposition is to play against England, just other countries. But yes, a whole series at the same ground would indeed be odd.

As I say, I imagine broadcast rights would be far from straightforward, but you'd certainly hope the PCB would be able to give Andy Fogerty some amount of orders - while obviously having to realise there are limitations, unlike in Pakistan where you can pretty much get whatever you want (provided you haven't fallen-out with the local association recently).

 

[andruid]

Been suggested several times before. As I've said on each of those occasions, it'd be something that could quite easily work a treat, but it'd be a hell of a leap of faith. I'm (relatively) familiar with the area having grown-up there and still regularly-ish returning there to see friends, and I'd be pretty confident that such a staging of games could be successful. But the PCB aren't familiar with it. However, I'd reckon crowds there would be considerably larger than anything you'd get at a Test at the Gaddafi or National Stadiums.

Didn't Pakistan play India in Canada on a similar format in the 1990's ?

Also, Headingley should suit Pakistan's seamers down to the ground - if they've got any left by the time they play there.

True dat, They still have Gul, Tanvir, Arafat who would probably revel in the conditions.

Not sure at all how TV deals would work though. If Pakistan could play "at home" overseas without making a net loss I'm sure they'd have done it long before now.

They could use the same channels they used to transmit that they used when Pakistan last toured England.

 

[Precambrian]

I think a fairer proposition will be to get the "host" matches in India, given the bonhomie PCB and BCCI are having (read suck up), and that we have too many test class grounds hardly getting an International per year.

 

[Precambrian]

Didn't Pakistan play India in Canada on a similar format in the 1990's ?

Those were ODIs. We're presumably talking about test matches.

 

[SJS]

I think it could start a new thought process. Just imagine India and Pakistan playing in Australia while they are visiting South Africa !

 

[SJS]

I think it could start a new thought process. Just imagine India and Pakistan playing in Australia while they are visiting South Africa !

Lalit Modi may already be thinking of his new 'business' venture to promote the game of cricket

 

[TT Boy]

I think it could start a new thought process. Just imagine India and Pakistan playing in Australia while they are visiting South Africa !

Or have a Pakistan India series in Durban. The 20/20 game there last year between the two sides was electric and there are so many Indian and Pakistani fans there.

 

[duffer]

Anything to get them more Test cricket. Only a matter of time before the team regresses from being excluded so much.

 

[Burgey]

Been suggested several times before. As I've said on each of those occasions, it'd be something that could quite easily work a treat, but it'd be a hell of a leap of faith. I'm (relatively) familiar with the area having grown-up there and still regularly-ish returning there to see friends, and I'd be pretty confident that such a staging of games could be successful. But the PCB aren't familiar with it. However, I'd reckon crowds there would be considerably larger than anything you'd get at a Test at the Gaddafi or National Stadiums.

Also, Headingley should suit Pakistan's seamers down to the ground - if they've got any left by the time they play there.

Not sure at all how TV deals would work though. If Pakistan could play "at home" overseas without making a net loss I'm sure they'd have done it long before now.

A Yorkshireman?

It all makes sense now

 

[Xuhaib]

Anything to get them more Test cricket. Only a matter of time before the team regresses from being excluded so much.

AWTA.

 

[Richard]

A Yorkshireman?

It all makes sense now

Behind the times, very, you are.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Refurbish Bradford Park Avenue imo.

 

[zaremba]

On one level it makes good sense. You're likely to get a better turnout of "home" supporters for a Pakistan game in Leeds than you would in Faisalabad or Lahore. Which is completely ridiculous but true all the same.

On another level, I can see it playing into the hands of the BNP, Daily Mail and other unpleasant far-right racists. The nasty slogans/headlines would write themselves really wouldn't they?

 

[andruid]

On one level it makes good sense. You're likely to get a better turnout of "home" supporters for a Pakistan game in Leeds than you would in Faisalabad or Lahore. Which is completely ridiculous but true all the same.

Hey these guys probably miss home.

On another level, I can see it playing into the hands of the BNP, Daily Mail and other unpleasant far-right racists. The nasty slogans/headlines would write themselves really wouldn't they?

Not if bodies like the LUU, Respect and so forth can help it.

 

[Richard]

You're likely to get a better turnout of "home" supporters for a Pakistan game in Leeds than you would in Faisalabad or Lahore.

Ahem...

I'd reckon crowds there would be considerably larger than anything you'd get at a Test at the Gaddafi or National Stadiums.

 

[andruid]

Ahem...

Been in Hyde Park recently on a Friday afternoon