Karachi: Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Shahryar Khan today said that members of the Pakistan cricket team were given the option to pull out the tour of India for the World Twenty20 if they are not satisfied with the security concerns.
However, none of the players accepted this option and made it clear that they wanted to go to India and participate in the World T20 tournament, Shahryar told a news conference in Lahore.
"I told them if any of them had any reservations they should inform me or the manager Intikhab Alam. My point was that if any player felt he would not able to focus on cricket in India in given circumstances, he can withdraw from the squad," the PCB chief said.
The PCB chief met with the players in Lahore on Thursday to brief them about the issues surrounding the World T20 in India and the background for the government wanting full security assurances from the Indian government to grant a go-ahead for the team to play in India.
"I am very happy that the team is going to India and although there might be some minor incidents but we are sure the security of our team will be top notch," he said.
Shahryar, a former career diplomat, said he was confident that the Indian people would give a warm welcome to the Pakistan team.
"Unfortunately due to these issues the team can play only one warm-up match against Sri Lanka instead of the scheduled two as they will reach Kolkata tomorrow since they will take an indirect flight," said the PCB chief.
(With inputs from PTI)
