Karachi: The Pakistan Cricket Board has still not decided upon the venues for its One-day and Test series against New Zealand in October-November.
The series has to be played outside Pakistan after New Zealand Cricket refused to send their team to the strife-torn country.
"The New Zealand Cricket officials have made it clear their team`s can`t tour Pakistan for security reasons but they have confirmed they are willing to play the series elsewhere. But the PCB has yet to take a decision on the venues with them," a Board official said.
The PCB had announced it would hold the One-day series in Abu Dhabi and Dubai and then Pakistan would tour New Zealand for the Tests and a Twenty20 match in early December before going to Australia.
But the official admitted the venues were not finalised as yet.
"The reason is the costs involved in hosting the series at neutral venues. Hoteling and other things are very expensive in the emirate states although it reduces the production costs of the broadcasters. But in comparison the hoteling and other costs are lower in New Zealand," the PCB official said.
"So we are still working out the final schedule for the match venues," he added.
Sources said the PCB was concentrating a lot on having the One-day series and the T20 fixture as these were main sources of revenues for them but they were aware that having the Test series anywhere would only result in losses for them.
Since last year Pakistan has been hit hard by the security situation in the country with foreign teams refusing to tour and the militants attack on the Sri Lankan team in March in Lahore proved to be the final backbreaker for Pakistan cricket.
Bureau Report