Pakistan to start India tour from Dec 25

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India will host Pakistan in the Airtel Series, featuring two T20 internationals and three ODIs in December 2012 to January 2013, a source revealed. According to information received from the PCB regarding its team tour to India, the Pakistan team will touch down at Bangalore on December 22 and will kick-off their campaign against the hosts with a Twenty20 international at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The visitors will then move to Ahmedabad for the second Twenty20 game to be played on December 27. Pakistan team will leave for Chennai to play the first one-day international of the three-match ODI series on December 30.

The second ODI of the series will be played at Kolkata on January 3, while the third and final one-dayer will be held at Delhi on January 6 while Pakistan team will depart from India on January 7, 2013, the source stated. The arch-rivals have not played a bilateral series since Pakistan's tour of India in 2007. Earlier, BCCI's vice-president Rajeev Shukla met with the India's Home Secretary in New Delhi on Tuesday to discuss the tour. Apart from the security issues, the Home Ministry also gave visa clearance to Pakistani spectators. Several top Pakistani dignitaries are expected to visit India to watch the cricket matches. Cricket ties between the two neighbours were broken after a terror attack in Mumbai in 2008 for which India blames Pakistan.

However, the teams have played each other in ICC tournaments, including in the World Cup semi-finals at Mohali last year. In July, the Indian board had decided to resume cricketing ties with Pakistan by inviting the neighbouring country for a short series in December 2012-January 2013 during the break period of England Tests and ODI legs as Englishmen will leave India to celebrate Christmas and New Year during the tour of India. This was possible because of untiring efforts of PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf who after assuming the charge of the board top slot started efforts to revive the cricketing relations with the neighbouring country India and Allah gave him success now. This achievement of the PCB chief will help a lot to bring international cricket back to Pakistan in near future.

The Indian government will issue special visas to Pakistani fans and it was possible because of Zaka Ashraf meeting with the Indian Foreign Minister in Islamabad and he directed Indian High Commissioner to solve this issue as soon as possible on which the Indian High Commissioner assured him to resolve the visas issues to Pakistani spectators. Meanwhile, the PCB chief praised his Indian counterpart for extending helping hand to make the series possible. He termed the series between Pakistan and India a good omen for the cricket-crazy people of both the countries and that will help bring the neighbouring countries closer and boost the cricket in the subcontinent. He said he did his best to make the series possible and Allah gave him success. “PCB is working for the Pakistan Twenty20 League and I hope if we get success in holding the series in a befitting manner it will compel foreign teams to tour Pakistan in near future,” he added.

The cricketing circles of the city praised and congratulated the PCB chief for this success and said the series would help the two countries to boost their relations and promote their games in a well manner. The peoples of two countries want to witness grueling contests between the neighbouring teams as the series between the Pakistan and India is bigger than Ashes, the sporting circles added. Now, its up to the selectors what they pick for the series against arch-rivals as the fans of both the countries do not want to lose against arch-rivals. This will be the tough test for the PCB chief as well as he has to take decision just for betterment and honour of the country. Tour itineraryDec 22: Arrival in BangaloreDec 25: First T20 in BangaloreDec 27: 2nd T20  in AhmedabadDec 30: First ODI in ChennaiJan 3: 2nd ODI in KolkataJan 6: 3rd ODI in Delhi

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