PCB to meet Sri Lankan officials to save tour

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ISLAMABAD, Dec 24 (AP): The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will meet its Sri Lankan counterpart to ensure that the World Cup finalists fulfill their three-Test and five one-day international tour beginning next month.
Sri Lankan sports minister Gamini Lokuge dissolved his country's cricket board Tuesday, which had been headed by 1996 World Cup-winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga.
PCB chief operating officer Salim Altaf plans to attend the Asian Cricket Council's meeting in Malaysia Saturday to guarantee that the tour from January 19 goes ahead.
"We hope the series will take place despite the fact that there is a change in the Sri Lankan cricket board setup," Altaf said Wednesday. "The change is their internal matter and I am going to discuss next month's series with Sri Lankan officials in Kuala Lumpur."
Lokuge reportedly said that all decisions taken by Ranatunga would be reviewed and that the foreign ministry will be consulted on the tour to Pakistan.
"We are reconsidering the decisions taken by Arjuna Ranatunga," Lokuge was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India.
Pakistan's last home Test series was against South Africa in October 2007, although it did stage the one-day Asia Cup and host limited-overs tours involving Bangladesh and Zimbabwe earlier this year.
"We desperately need to organise some Test cricket at home and we are keen to host Sri Lanka despite the fact that we are not going to make much money," Altaf said.
Sri Lanka agreed to tour Pakistan after India canceled itsscheduled tour in the wake of last month's Mumbai attacks at homethat killed at least 164 people.