Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik fears the country will slip into cricket isolation if security concerns continue to prevent other teams from touring.

Pakistan cricket suffered two major setbacks this year with Australia postponing a test tour in March and the eight-nation Champions Trophy being postponed by the International Cricket Council (ICC) last month because of security concerns.

"It is very frustrating for the players the way two important events have been postponed this year. It is so depressing that despite being a major cricket-playing nation we do not play a test match this year," Malik told reporters in Islamabad.

Pakistan played its last test against India in December and its next test series is not until January when India tours.

It has hosted only two one-day international (ODI) series against weaker oppositions - Zimbabwe and Bangladesh - earlier this year and the Asia Cup one-day tournament.

Malik said for cricket to thrive in Pakistan it was important for the ICC to ensure teams toured the country.

"The ICC needs to step in and play a more decisive role. If teams keep on refusing to tour Pakistan despite assurances even from our government we will become an isolated cricket nation," he added.

Pakistan is currently placed at No. 6 in both test and one-day rankings. Prolific batsman Muhammad Yousuf is the sole Pakistani nomination in the ODI Player of the Year category of the ICC awards.

"It's quite alarming both for our team and players as we have slipped down in the test rankings and our players are suffering because they didn't get a chance to play test cricket for the last eight months," Malik said.

The Pakistan Cricket Board had tried to arrange an alternate series after the postponement of the Champions Trophy but without success. South Africa declined to take part in a tri-series this month with Sri Lanka, citing the need to give players a rest after their tour of England.

A PCB official confirmed yesterday that moves to arrange an ODI series in Sri Lanka later this month had not worked out due to lack of sponsor interest.

"Efforts to organize matches against Sri Lanka have encountered difficulties and the main thing is lack of sponsors' interest in the series," PCB spokesman Mansoor Suhail said. "The way things stand at the moment, it's highly unlikely that the series will be played."

(Agencies via Shanghai Daily September 11, 2008)