ICC CEO Manu Sawhney will visit Pakistan next week and have a discussion with PCB officials on whether the country is now ready to resume hosting major world events in the next eight-year FTP cycle, beginning 2023. Sawhney, who replaced David Richardson as the chief of the governing body last year, is expected to reach Lahore on January 23. 

"The purpose of his visit is to have preliminary discussions with the Pakistan Cricket Board on the hosting of ICC events in the period from 2023 and 2031 as Pakistan has only recently started hosting proper bilateral series against other teams at home," a source close to the development told PTI. 

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"The ICC official will also be meeting with top government and security officials for a brief on how security conditions have improved in Pakistan."

Pakistan, with greater security arrangements in place, just recently restarted hosting Test cricket after more than a decade since the Lahore terrorist attack when a Sri Lankan team bus was targetted. 

This visit from Sawhney supersedes ICC Chairman Shashank Manohar's efforts in making agree Bangladesh Cricket Board for a full tour to Pakistan; the nation, says this source, is also quite keen to get at least one major ICC tournament in the next rights cycle which includes eight men's events, eight women's competitions, four under-19 tournaments each for men and women.

In the immediate future, Pakistan is due to host the Asia Cup T20 in September, but whether the Indian government allows its national side to visit the country remains to be soon. 

(Inputs from PTI)