Maidstone based cricket club Lashings have announced they would be prepared to tour Pakistan.

The idea of a World XI fixture in the country was floated by former Pakistan wicketkeeper Rashid Latif.

“Rashid is a man who I have the utmost repect for and if he says it’s safe for us to travel there we’d be delighted to,” chairman David Folb said.

“We would be honoured to play there, if the Pakistan Cricket Board would have us.”

The news follows a suggestion from Latif that he would be willing to lead a World XI to Pakistan, which hasn’t hosted an international cricket match since March 2009, when a touring Sri Lankan team were attacked by terrorists in Lahore.

“If the PCB is willing to take care of the costs involved, I am ready work on this project. I am confident that a world eleven made up of players from different countries can be convinced to come to Pakistan,” Latif said.

“I have been associated with the Lashings club in England for some years and they have players on their roll who have said they can come and play. I had floated this idea of a World eleven back in January. The board even called me once to inquire about it but than I think they got busy and focused on inviting Bangladesh to Pakistan.”

“If I recall even Shahid Afridi had said recently he had spoken to players in the Big Bash tournament in Australia who were interested in playing in Pakistan.”

Pakistan are currently a nomadic side, playing their “home” international fixtures in places such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

The visit of Lashings to the country would go a long way to helping them show the International Cricket Council and the cricketing community that it is safe to play cricket once again in Pakistan.