On arrival, PCB members received the team at the Islamabad international airport. This was the first time in 32 years that an RCA-XI comprising 15 players went on an international tour.
Asif Sheikh, general secretary of RCA said: "Such opportunities and tours will encourage players not only to perform well but will also strengthen relations between the two countries." For the first time the RCA players had a feel of playing on natural turf and found it difficult to adjust to the conditions. Most of the cricket matches in Riyadh are played on cement pitches.
The RCA played matches at Peshawar, Sawabi, Abbottabad and Islamabad. Though they lost all their matches to the hosts, RCA kept on improving after every outing. Two of the defeats were by narrow margins losing by two and five runs respectively.
"We are pleased by the performance of our players and thankful to the PCB for giving us this opportunity by providing us with the best of facilities. We hope that our next trip will be of a longer duration and will put up a better fight," said Jawaid Munawar, senior vice president of RCA.
RCA plans more foreign tours in the near future that will provide opportunities and experience to play at international stadiums, which is a dream for many players.
