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South Asian crowds make Pakistan feel home

DHAKA, Bangladesh - Pakistan’s players may miss playing at home but they reckon that performing in front of South Asian crowds at the World Cup will be the next best thing, according to captain Shahid Afridi.

The International Cricket Council stripped Pakistan of the right to stage the World Cup after the Sri Lanka team bus was attacked in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore in March 2009.

The attack led to India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka hosting the 2011 event which opens on Saturday, while Pakistan has not held an international fixture since.

Afridi said Thursday he missed playing in front of his own people, but added that “playing in Bangladesh and the rest of the subcontinent is like playing at home.”

Pakistan plays England on Friday in its final warmup and its first match against Kenya in India on Feb. 23

The team is regarded as one of world’s most dangerous limited-overs outfits, but has been beset by off-the-field controversies and setbacks, most recently the banning of three players by the ICC for spotfixing during the team’s tour of England last year.

Pakistan has staged its scheduled home series at neutral venues in the United Arab Emirates and England since the attack in Lahore. The ICC has spoken of its hope that a World XI will play in the country “in due course” but with the country still wracked by militant violence, it is not clear when that might happen.