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Updated 12 May, 2012 08:51am

Sri Lanka refuses to host Pakistan-Australia series

Pakistan is once again on the search for a venue to play their one day series against Australia, scheduled later this year.

In a recent turn of events, Sri Lanka has refused to host the series because of their engagements in Sri Lankan Premiere League (SLPL). Aaj News reported.

The SLPL will start from the month of August hence colliding with the Pakistan-Australia series schedule.

The Sri Lankan board agreed to playing host for the Pakistan-Australia series, earlier in March this year.

Pakistan had considered Australia and South Africa as prospect venues, but later showing a vote of faith, made a deal with the Sri Lankan board to hold the series on Sri Lankan soil, but a recent development between the Sri Lanka board and the organizers of the SLPL has resulted in a new deal, that schedules the Sri Lankan Premiere League in August, clashing with the Pakistan-Australia series.

Pakistan was to play five ODIs and three Twenty20 matches against Australia. This series was supposed to help both sides in practicing and preparing for the upcoming Twenty20 World Cup tournament in Sri Lanka later in September, this year.

After the Lahore attacks, Pakistan has been playing all its matches on foreign venues like the UAE.

Speculations are, that this shocking move of backing out of hosting Pakistan-Australia series seems more than a clash of dates,  strategic lobbying by anti-Pakistan elements has resulted in Pakistani players being snubbed from almost every international cricketing opportunity in the past few years, creating a wall around Pakistan Cricket, this move by the Sri Lankan board is deemed as just another brick of that wall.

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