Windies head coach Law praises Pakistan's 'outstanding' security, warm welcome

 

KARACHI: Former Australian cricketer Stuart Law on Tuesday termed the security arrangements in Pakistan “more than adequate” that will help ensure that more international matches are played in the country.

Talking to media at the conclusion of a three-match, Twenty20 International (T20I) series between Pakistan and West Indies, which the latter lost by three-nil, the Windies' head coach noted that playing in this environment may seem daunting from the outside, but once people are in the country, their perception changes.

“The security has been outstanding … we haven't seen any issues, any incidences.

"It's a bit daunting if you are not used to the setup … it's a bit daunting for the people outside but once you get here and see it for yourself, it's different,” he said.

“I'm not saying that it has opened the floodgates and everyone comes rushing back … still, people will have reservations.

"But from what I've seen here, it's more than adequate — that's for sure — to make sure that we can get cricket back in Pakistan,” the former Australian batsman said.

Law added that he feels sorry for the Pakistani players who have to date not played enough matches with their "home fans" as their main audience.

He also hailed Karachi's cricket fans, who had arrived at the National Stadium to support the two teams and cheer for the return of international cricket to their beloved city.

This is the “first time I've been to Karachi; the fans here were outstanding … every night, there was a tremendous atmosphere in the ground.

"They are very respectful to us … everywhere we've been, [we were] treated very well,” he said, adding that he is a big fan of Pakistani cricket.

In response to a question, Law said while he was disappointed with his team’s result, he was glad to see Pakistanis enjoying being happy and seeing their stars playing in front of them.

“Yes, I'm disappointed with our result … you guys will obviously be very happy with the result. But I think another result of [this series] is that there's a lot of smiles on faces, there are a lot of people happy out there,” he said.

“I'm just glad for the people here in Karachi, particularly, but also Pakistan, to see their national team playing really well against another international cricket team,” Law added.

Talking about the window of series, he said it was probably not the right time since most of the players were going to the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL).

“The tour was put together — rushed — so we have to find a way to satisfy the tour … it's the best we could do.

"With the IPL starting [soon], we have a lot of players involved in the IPL and their franchises are pretty ruthless when it comes to their player activity.

"They want their players there. It probably wasn't the ideal timing,” he noted.