Following an attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore in 2009, international cricket experienced a halt in Pakistan as foreign teams refused to tour the country over security concerns. Consequently, the Pakistani cricket team hosted home tournaments in neutral venues such as the United Arab Emirates. In October 2012, Shah was credited as having played an instrumental role in reviving international cricket in the country after a period of three and a half years when, in his capacity as Sindh sports minister, he arranged an international world XI team – consisting of former and current players from Sri Lanka, South Africa, West Indies, United States and Afghanistan – to play two T20 matches against a "Pakistan All Stars" consisting mainly of players from the national team. The games took place in front of packed crowds at the National Stadium, Karachi. While the matches were unofficial, they were seen as a milestone as this was the first instance when foreign players toured Pakistan to play cricket since the attack on the Sri Lankan team.