Pakistan's tour will not be affected - Ashraf

Nasim Ashraf, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, says the emergency in Pakistan will not have any bearing on the team's current visit to India.

"The imposition of emergency will not affect our team's tour of India in any way," Ashraf told the News, a Karachi-based daily. "Our team will remain in India and I'm confident that the players will give their best in the series."

The decision by Pervez Musharraf, the president of Pakistan, to declare a state of emergency in the country initially cast doubt over whether the tour would continue as scheduled. The Pakistan players had returned to their hotel in Delhi after a practice session at the Feroz Shah Kotla when they learnt about the political situation back home.

The tour, which includes a five-match ODI series followed by three Tests, is set to get underway tomorrow with the first one-dayer in Guwahati.