The desert oases of Dubai and Abu Dhabi continue to be the centres of Pakistan cricket’s universe. They have effectively replaced Lahore and Karachi which is quite a pity. In an ideal world, we should have witnessed the player draft for the second edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) in Lahore and the Younis Khan special against the West Indies at the National Stadium in Karachi. But instead, we have to live with the idea that the best we can do is to either witness them somewhere abroad (in the UAE) or to risk not witnessing them at all. We continue to hear promises from our cricket authorities that they are doing everything in their powers to bring international cricketing action back to Pakistan. We recently heard that they are planning to host the PSL final in Lahore next year. It all sounds good but we have to ask: are they doing enough?

Personally, I don’t think so. Take a look at Bangladesh. They were in real danger of losing an important home series against England after the deadly café attack in Dhaka that left 21 hostages and two police officers dead in July this year. There seemed little possibility that England would agree to send its team to Bangladesh in the aftermath of the terror attack. But Bangladesh’s authorities and the country’s cricket board left no stone unturned in their bid to save the home series. And they succeeded.

Pakistan, too, should give everything to the campaign aimed at restoring its status as a major cricketing destination. It should be treated as a matter of utmost importance. That’s because a whole new generation is growing up without having the experience of witnessing top-class cricket action on its home soil. There are kids who have no idea what it feels like to watch a Test or One-day International in their own backyard. There are players who have never played an international game at home. It’s like slow-poisoning.

Dubai and Abu Dhabi were supposed to be mere stop-overs. But it seems that they are both the present and future of Pakistan cricket unless we start doing something about it instead of just saying the right words. It’s true that the security situation in Pakistan is beyond the control of our cricket authorities. And the return of international cricket to this country is and will remain linked to security issues. But this doesn’t mean that PCB officials can just sit back and enjoy the luxuries offered to them by their hospitable hosts in the UAE. They have to continue intense lobbying with other boards, the ICC and the players associations. They should be pursuing their own government, asking the authorities to fully back their efforts for a resumption of international cricket here. They should be coming out with fool-proof security plans. They should be working harder on lining up home games against more foreign teams (like they lined up a series against Zimbabwe). In a nutshell, they should be doing more.

The resumption of international matches in Pakistan is the single most important target facing the PCB and they know it. Unfortunately, so far, they have been slow in responding to the challenge.

A near-empty Dubai International Cricket Stadium greeted Pakistan and West Indies as they clashed in what was the first day-night Test in Asia, also only the second Test played with pink balls. Even the ‘Ring of Fire’ failed to attract spectators during the best part of what turned out to be an enthralling encounter. It’s true that five-day matches seldom attracted big crowds in Pakistan when it was still receiving touring teams. But I’m sure that a pink-ball Test at a venue like Karachi, Lahore or even Faisalabad would have featured packed crowds.

Speaking of crowds, PSL 2 is expected to attract hordes of fans when it is held in the UAE next Feb-March. With the likes of Chris Gayle, Brendon McCullum, Shane Watson, Kevin Pietersen and Eoin Morgan part of a stellar cast alongside local heroes Shahid Afridi and MIsbah-ul-Haq, the Twenty20 league should be a bigger and better event as compared to the inaugural edition held in February this year. The organisers have revealed plans of having the final in Lahore. If successful, the move should provide a boost to PCB’s campaign for the resumption of top-class international cricket in Pakistan. A fly-in, fly-out final which would effectively mean that foreign stars will only have to spend a few hours in Lahore sounds like a low-hanging fruit for PCB but since the board hasn’t done its homework properly, even realizing this plan is going to be a challenge. The good thing is that the Board has enough time and should have the financial muscle to make it happen. It is going to be a huge disappointment if it fails.