Security blanket greets England

A heavy police presence should ensure a peaceful match © Getty Images

As expected, the levels of security around the National Stadium in Karachi ahead of Thursday's one-day international are more akin to a presidential visit than a cricket match. But given the will-they, won't-they discussions over the viability of the game going ahead which have been doing the rounds for months, it is almost a miracle - but a welcome one - that the match is happening at all.

About 3000 police and paramilitary forces will guard the National Stadium and the teams' hotel over the next two days. Both sides will have a security blanket protecting them on trips between the hotel and ground.

Stringent security measures are in place for a sell-out crowd of 33,000, with all spectators having to prove their identities before being allowed entry to the ground. The gates will open three hours before the 11am start to allow police to carry out stringent searches.

"We have made extremely tight security arrangements for the match," Major General Javed Zia, director-general of the paramilitary forces, told reporters. "We know this is a very important match for the city and we want to ensure nothing is left to chance."

England will be the first non-Asian side to play in Karachi since they won the final Test in December 2000. Since then, unrest and bomb blasts have meant that Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and West Indies have all refused to include the city on tour itineraries.

England will arrive on Wednesday afternoon and leave on Friday, spending less than 48 hours in the city. A bomb blast last month about 200m from the five-star hotel where the England team will stay had threatened to lead to the match being rearranged, but the authorities persuaded the England management to adhere to the agreed itinerary.

The Pakistan Cricket Board and the government will be determined that the game passes off without a hitch. If it does, then it will be far easier to re-establish Karachi as a vital venue on any tour.