Marylebone Cricket Club Tour – A Sign of Enduring UK-Pak Dosti

Dr Christian Turner, CMG, the British High Commissioner to Pakistan, paid a warm tribute to the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for a successful tour to Pakistan. MCC, one of the world’s oldest cricket clubs, has been on a week-long tour to Pakistan.

The High Commissioner hosted a reception in Lahore on Saturday to celebrate the collaborative efforts to bring international cricket back to Pakistan. The reception was an opportunity to show the warmth of enduring UK-Pakistan ties and the power of sport to strengthen people-to-people connections.

At the reception on Saturday, the High Commissioner showcased his cricketing skills by batting, bowling and keeping wickets with the cricket legend and MCC President Kumar Sangakkara. Senator Faisal Javed attended the reception on behalf of Prime Minister Imran Khan, and presented a bat signed by the PM to Sangakkara.

British High Commissioner Dr Christian Turner, CMG, said;

To welcome the world’s oldest and most famous cricket club is a sign of confidence in Pakistan, and of the improved security situation that led to the change in UK travel advice.

Cricket is in our blood and one of the many bonds that binds us together. I hope it is a step to welcoming an England cricket team back to Pakistan.

Commenting on the tour, MCC President Kumar Sangakkara said:

We were thrilled to be here in Pakistan. The Pakistan Cricket Board has done a tremendous job in rebuilding the international cricketing landscape here, and for MCC to be touring the country is a momentous occasion for everyone involved.

The aim of the tour is to encourage international teams to visit Pakistan and we hope that this trip goes a long way to achieving that aim.

Also present at the reception on Saturday were the MCC squad, Governor Punjab Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar, members of the parliament, senior members of the PCB, Pakistan’s cricketing stars and the artists and influencers from the media industry.

Notes to editors

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Further information

• The Pakistan cricket team is scheduled to tour England from July to September 2020 to play three Tests and three Twenty20 International (T20I) matches.
• Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is a cricket club founded in 1787 and based since 1814 at Lord’s Cricket Ground, which it owns, in St John’s Wood, London.
• MCC are the custodians of the Laws of Cricket and are responsible for the debating, decision making and drafting of the Laws. It is one of the Club’s most important roles, having carried it out since formation.
• MCC plays more matches than any other cricket club – around 480 per year against schools, universities and clubs in the UK, and between 20 and 30 fixtures annually as part of its overseas touring programme, which aims to develop cricket abroad.
• On the international stage, MCC has a World Cricket Committee, currently chaired by Mike Gatting that contains eminent current and former players and administrators. It has a remit to act as an independent think tank debating issues and making recommendations about the health and state of the game, as well as to commission research.