The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is likely to respond positively to the China Cricket Association (CCA) invitation, which asked the junior national cricket team to play a couple of matches in China. The China Cricket Association extended the invitation on Tuesday while the PCB was also sure to send its junior team to tour China. The relations between the two countries are so cozy that there is a little chance as the board would refuse the invitation. According to Chinese cricket team chief coach Rashid Khan, who is also a former Pakistani fast bowler, the CCA wants a bilateral series between the two countries which will further bring the two nations closer but also give experience to emerging Chinese players.
“The players now need to play with experienced team and as the CCA has now stadium at Guangzhou,” he said. “It’s the same venue where Pakistan played their matches during the Asian Games,” he added. A PCB official said the invitation from the CCA would be more than welcome. He said further that it was not only about sending the team to China but the board was also ready to extend every kind of assistance they would require for the grooming and upgrading of the facilities.
According to international sports monitors, cricket has been steadily growing in China as at present they have got a pool of 150 to 170 well groomed players and more youngsters are showing interest in the game from school to university level, reported a Chinese news agency. A couple of Pakistani senior players have been providing coaching services to Chinese team and seven Chinese players had already attended a two month training session in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi last year.
