Pakistan will return to UAE

After months of contractual wrangling, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have confirmed the UAE will host six limited-over internationals between Pakistan and New Zealand. Although the final dates remain undecided, the negotiations between the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) and the PCB have been concluded and the series will go ahead in late October and early November.

"I had fruitful and constructive meetings with the Emirates cricket officials last week and we will be sending the final itinerary to Cricket New Zealand for approval," said the PCB chairman Ijaz Butt yesterday. "Once we get approval from Cricket New Zealand we will announce the final dates, but the series will be held some time in October-November." Pakistan were due to host New Zealand in a Test match and limited-overs series, but the games were moved because of ongoing domestic security concerns.

As a result the PCB have been forced to explore neutral venues for international matches. The UAE was given the nod ahead of Malaysia and the USA after successfully hosting matches against Australia earlier this year. A fixture reschedule has already seen the Test series moved to New Zealand in mid-November, and the limited-over matches will need to be finished before both teams travel east. The UAE games, according to PCB media manager Raza Rashid, will be split between Dubai and Abu Dhabi, with the capital's Zayed Cricket Stadium hosting four one-day internationals, and the 25,000-capacity Dubai Sports City (DSC) selected for a pair of Twenty20 clashes.

"Dubai will host two Twenty20 matches, while all the four ODIs against New Zealand will be staged at Abu Dhabi," Rashid said. The ECB have also offered their Pakistani counterparts a three-year long-term proposition to host all their home matches in the UAE. The ECB chief executive Dilawar Mani said there were "no updates" regarding the proposal, but he added that the provisional New Zealand series itinerary - which needs approval by the tourists before it is signed off - represents the best deal for the PCB.

"I haven't heard directly from the PCB [about the dates]," said Mani. "I believe they have announced [the deal's conclusion] but I haven't been able to reach them." A major factor that prolonged the discussions was the cost factor for both neutral venues. "We proposed it [the Dubai-Abu Dhabi split] to Pakistan as a way of optimising revenue and reducing cost. This plan achieves both and we are hosting the two Twenty20 games in Dubai and the four ODIs in Abu Dhabi," he added.

Mani also revealed that the DSC officials have agreed, following Pakistan's complaints after the Australia matches, to foot their running costs beyond a certain figure. "Dubai's cost in terms of security and management is higher than Abu Dhabi's, but, to Dubai's credit, they are willing to absorb some of the costs and a cap figure has been reached. "No additional costs will go to the PCB," Mani confirmed.

A statement from DSC said it was "awaiting final confirmation" before commenting further, while Abu Dhabi Sports Council - the authority which oversees all the emirate's local sporting infrastructure - was unavailable for comment. [e-mail]