Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was forced to shift the national Twenty20 tournament to Karachi after an outbreak of dengue fever in Lahore, the tournament’s original venue.
President Asif Zardari, who is the patron of PCB, said the tournament should also be used as a fund-raising event for the flood victims in Sindh.
“As desired by the president of Pakistan, the venue of the tournament has been shifted from Lahore to Karachi,” a PCB statement said.
The dengue fever outbreak in Lahore, which has claimed several lives, prompted concerns among various teams, including Afghanistan, which is also competing.
And PCB director general Javed Miandad said the decision would help players take to the field without worry.
“There was a suggestion that because of the dengue virus we should transfer the event from Lahore and after president’s directives we took this decision,” Miandad told reporters.
He added that the tournament will help raise funds for millions of displaced flood victims in Sindh.
