Pakistan keen for a short ODI series against India

Apr 16, 2011 |

Karachi

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Desperate to revive the Indo-Pak bilateral cricket ties, the PCB is trying hard to convince the BCCI for a short one-day series in 2011 in Pakistan or at a neutral venue.

The Pakistan Cricket Board's chief operating officer Subhan Ahmed told PTI that modalities of the short series would hopefully be worked out in a meeting with BCCI officials in June.

Subhan, however, admitted that due to the tight international schedule of the Indian team, it would be quite a task to squeeze out a week or a 10-day period for the series.

"It is not possible to play a full Test series this year that is obvious to us. But we are definitely keen on at least having a three match or five match series sometime in 2011 in Pakistan or at a neutral venue to kick off the revival process," he said.

Immediately after the ongoing IPL, India is scheduled to tour the West Indies for four Tests and five ODIs, followed by a long tour of England in July-August.

England will then come to India for a one-day series in November and West Indies will follow for a three-Test and five ODI series. The Indians then travel to Australia for a high-profile series in December-January.

Pakistan is due to tour India in March-April 2012 for a full Test series under the ICC's Future Tours Program but the PCB is keen to have the bilateral series before that.

Cricket experts, however, were skeptical if the Indian players would be willing to take the risk of touring Pakistan. No international team has travelled to strife-torn Pakistan after the attack on Sri Lankan players at Lahore in March 2009.

India suspended all direct cricket ties with Pakistan after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

Subhan said Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani has given clearance to the PCB to start the process of reviving bilateral cricket with India.

Asked about the statements emanating from BCCI officials about the Indian Government not having informed them about trying to revive bilateral cricket with Pakistan, Subhan said this was made very clear by the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at Mohali.

He recalled that during the World Cup semi-final match, when the Indian Premier met with the officials of the two Boards, Singh had stated that both countries should resume cricket ties.

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