England officials arrive to check Pakistan security
A two-man security delegation from England arrived in Karachi on Monday to inspect the venues for a this October's Test and one-day series
Cricinfo staff
21-Jun-2005
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Douglas Dick and Andy Allman of the Oliver Security Agency will visit grounds and meet with police in Karachi, Multan, Lahore, Faisalabad and Rawalpindi, the five cities likely to host three Tests and five one-day internationals
Karachi has hosted two Test matches - against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka - since New Zealand scrapped its tour when a suicide bomb killed 11 French naval technicians outside the team's hotel in 2002. Since then, South Africa and India have refused to play Tests in the city.
John Carr of the ECB and Richard Bevan of the Professional Cricketers Association will visit Pakistan later this week after receiving the report from Dick and Allman..
Concerns have been raised about playing in Karachi because of continuing security issues in the city. The PCB, however, has said that it is not willing to consider replacing the Karachi Test with one at an alternative venue. In July 2004, a bomb was found outside the US embassy in the city; in February of this year, two small bombs exploded, and last month five people were killed in a suicide bombing.
The British Foreign Office advises visitors to Pakistan that "there is reliable evidence that terrorists continue to target western, including British, interests and individuals throughout Pakistan. Although the major cities are particularly vulnerable to indiscriminate bombing and other attacks, including kidnapping, no part of Pakistan is immune."