Pakistan great Wasim Akram said Friday the International Cricket Council should have sent its match officials for his country’s first international series at home in six years.
The ICC declined to provide umpires and a match referee for two Twenty20s and three ODIs between Pakistan and Zimbabwe due to security concerns.
“ICC should have been more positive and they should have sent their match officials,” Akram told reporters during the second one-day international at Gaddafi Stadium.
“I can imagine that this is the first series and (ICC) was worried about its officials so hopefully when the second team comes (to Pakistan) they will send their match officials too.”
Pakistan’s government has provided thousands of policemen and paramilitaries to guard the visitors since they arrived in this eastern city of lahore on May 19. It’s the first international series in Pakistan since gunmen attacked a Sri lanka team bus in lahore in 2009.
left-arm fast bowler Akram, who took 414 test wickets and 502 wickets in ODI matches, was impressed with the big crowds that turned up to watch Zimbabwe even though the African nation is lowly ranked at No. 12 in ODI rankings.
“Unbelievable,” Akram said of the nearly 27,000 spectators at each of the two Twenty20s and the two ODIs. “That’s something that brought back the memories of my playing days, great achievement by the PCB.”