LAHORE - The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is considering requesting President Asif Ali Zardari to help save the proposed home series against Sri Lanka in January-February next year after reports in media that the new Sri Lankan set up would be reconsidering the previous board's decisions. However, many other reports suggested that the Sri Lanka Sports Minister has assured the series was on but it was not clear that the series would take place as planned or there would be any changes. Another report said that senior PCB officials were concerned over reports coming from Sri Lanka that the cricket officials there are reconsidering the series against Pakistan after the sacking of Sri Lanka Cricket's interim committee chief Arjuna Ranatunga. It was Ranatunga who agreed to playing three Tests and five One-dayers against Pakistan during a tour that was supposed to get underway from January 19. The series was being arranged by Pakistan after Indian cancelled its tour of Pakistan. According to reports coming from Colombo, Sri Lanka's sports minister Gamini Lokuge is planning to hold discussions with the country's president Mahinda Rajapaksa and wait for word from the foreign ministry regarding the tour of Pakistan. Sources in the PCB said that there is a strong possibility that the board chairman Ijaz Butt will request Zardari to talk to his Sri Lanka counterpart to help save the series. Zardari is PCB's chief patron and is regarded as a big cricket fan. The board's top brass is also considering involving diplomatic channels to ensure that Sri Lanka visits Pakistan and play in what is now a much-awaited series here. Pakistan was left without a single Test in 2008 after Australia cancelled its tour of the country in March-April this year over security apprehensions. It suffered another setback later in the year when the International Cricket Council (ICC) postponed the eight-nation ICC Champions Trophy after five of the competing teams refused to travel to the country because of safety fears. from page 20 The PCB remains hopeful of hosting Sri Lanka for a Test and ODI series next year despite the dissolution of Sri Lanka Cricket's interim committee, headed by Arjuna Ranatunga. Ranatunga was sacked and the committee dissolved by Sri Lanka sports minister Gamini Lokuge putting the cricket team's unscheduled tour of Pakistan into doubt as it was approved by the former World Cup winning captain. "We are not going to panic. It is their internal matter and we will discuss the tour when we go for the executive council meeting of the Asian Cricket Council in Kuala Lumpur later this week," PCB Chief Operating Officer Saleem Altaf said. Altaf said a new interim committee was expected to be announced in Sri Lanka in a week's time but before that discussions would be held in Kuala Lumpur. "Ranatunga had confirmed the tour and we badly need to play some international cricket and I think all the cricket playing nations are duty bound to help and support us where possible," he said. Altaf said the PCB was not concerned with reports emanating from Sri Lanka and India about Lokuge planning to call off the tour to Pakistan. "We will officially discuss things at the ACC meeting. The tour has been committed to us and we are confident it will be held as planned," Altaf said. Many people belonging to the Pakistan cricket fraternity including former Test players believe there is a lobby working against the country's cricket. "Our board says India has been very supportive but I don't see that support anywhere. It is as if the Indians are following the strategy of their government to isolate Pakistan even as a cricket nation and venue," former captain Rashid Latif said. He pointed out that the timing of Ranatunga's sacking just one day after he confirmed the tour to Pakistan was strange. Latif said the manner in which the ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat's statement was twisted to give his words an anti-Pakistan bias clearly indicated there was a lobby out to isolate Pakistan cricket. Altaf said if the board felt necessary it would even ask the government to convince its Sri Lankan counterpart to give its team the go ahead to tour Pakistan. He also said Lorgat had called up PCB chairman Ejaz Butt on Tuesday and clarified his remarks attributed to him in the media. "He made it clear that the ICC fully supported Pakistan's efforts to host Sri Lanka," Altaf said.