ICC welcomes launch of Pakistan v Australia Test series in England

ICC President David Morgan today welcomed news of the launch of the Pakistan v Australia Test and T20I series that will take place in England during July 2010.

With international cricket not possible in Pakistan at present for security reasons, the ICC resolved to encourage members to do everything possible to ensure the game would not suffer unduly from that situation.

"The ICC welcomes this encouraging move," said Mr Morgan.

"Of course ideally all of Pakistan's home series would take place there but clearly that is not possible at the moment. The next best thing is for the matches to take place in neutral venues.

"The England and Wales Cricket Board, the Pakistan Cricket Board and Cricket Australia are all to be congratulated for this cooperative and innovative response to an unfortunate situation.

"For me it is another example of the great spirit that exists in our sport. For Test cricket to continue to develop and grow in popularity, it's essential the Pakistan cricket team continues to play competitive matches. This partnership between the boards will not only enable this to happen it will also provide finances that can be invested in grassroots schemes to help safeguard cricket's future as the number one sport in Pakistan.

"And with so many Pakistanis and Australians living in England, not to mention plenty of others who just love watching Test cricket and the ECB's excellent track record in staging international cricket, the matches are bound to be well supported," said Mr Morgan.