Dates set for Australia and India tours of Pakistan

KARACHI (Reuters) - The dates for Australia, India and Sri Lanka to tour Pakistan next year were announced after a meeting of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Tuesday.

"The Indian team will tour in January and February, 2009 to play three tests, five one-day internationals and two twenty20 games," PCB chairman Nasim Ashraf said.

"Sri Lanka will come in early April for a three-match one-day series while Cricket Australia has confirmed they will play five one-day internationals in Pakistan from April 23," Ashraf told reporters after the meeting.

Australia postponed a test tour in March-April for security reasons but have confirmed they will complete the postponed series in two halves with the test tour in October 2010.

Ashraf said Australia's postponed tour had delayed projected earnings of $7.5 million (3.8 million pounds) for the PCB.

Tuesday's PCB meeting also approved allowing regional domestic teams to sign overseas players for next season, Ashraf said. Teams would be allowed to field two guest players who can be from within the country or overseas.

"Our main priority is to raise the standards of domestic cricket and we feel overseas players can also increase interest in these tournaments," he said.

Ashraf said a security delegation from the International Cricket Council (ICC) will visit Pakistan next week to review security arrangements for the Asia Cup, which it is hosting in June-July, and the ICC Champions Trophy starting on September 11.

(Editing by Rex Gowar)