Pak-Indo cricket ties resume; India gives green signal
16 July, 2012
NEW DEHLI: Cricketing ties between Pakistan and India have resumed as Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) has announced that the Pakistan team will tour India in December this year to play three one-day internationals (ODIs), Our Sources` reported.
According to the Indian media, the BCCI has agreed in principle to invite the Pakistan cricket team. The bilateral series will be the first after five years severed after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. The report about the series comes after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) put forward three proposals to their Indian counterparts in a bid to resume bilateral cricket ties between India and Pakistan. The PCB proposed that either India could tour Pakistan or play them in a neutral venue. The third proposal was PCB hosting their home series in India. The process received the boost in early July when the foreign secretaries of the two countries decided to promote the sporting contacts. The joint statement issued after the two-day talks stated: "The Foreign Secretaries also emphasized the need to promote media and sports contacts". Also, PCB chief Zaka Ashraf had several meetings with BCCI President N Srinivasan during the last several months. The BCCI has also invited Pakistan's national T20 champion Sialkot Stallions to participate in the Qualifying Tournament of Champions League Twenty20 to be held in South Africa later this year. While commenting on the development Zaka Ashraf said that the two boards and governments were working hard to normalise the situation and now the ties between the two countries are much better than before. BCCI announcement The Indian cricket board issud the following statement today regarding Pakistan-India series. The Working Committee of the BCCI met in Delhi earlier today. Several key issues were discussed. It was decided to resume cricketing ties with Pakistan by inviting the Pakistan cricket team for a short series in December 2012 - January 2013. The modalities will be worked out shortly. Tour details The series is expected to be played during the Christmas break in India. Mohali, New Delhi and Dharamshala are the likely venues for the series. England, who will come to India in November to play four Tests, five ODIs and two Twenty20s, will go back on December 22 for the Christmas after the Test series and will return for the remaining series on January 3. The BCCI, however, still needs the approval of the Government of India to go ahead with the series. Background The two countries have not played a bilateral cricket series since the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008. India were scheduled to tour Pakistan in January 2009 but most of the players were reluctant to visit. As a goodwill gesture Sri Lanka agreed to tour Pakistan. But terrorist attack on their players in Lahore on March 3, 2009 saw an end to international cricket in Pakistan. Since then no international team has toured Pakistan. Even during the ICC World Cup 2011, the matches, initially scheduled in Pakistan, were given to other cities of the Indian sub-continent. End. |
