 | « Back to article | Print this article |
Resumption of India's bilateral cricket ties with Pakistan would be up for discussion in a BCCI meeting next month, the Indian Board's vice-President Rajeev Shukla has said.
"The series is on our agenda and we will make the final decision after assessing the pros and cons in our meeting. The series is scheduled for next year and there is still a lot of time left," Shukla told the Express Tribune daily newspaper.
The BCCI and the Pakistan Cricket Board recently held a meeting in Hong Kong on the sidelines of the ICC annual conference in which resumption of bilateral cricket ties was discussed.
PCB chairman Ijaz Butt said Indian officials had assured they would get back with a response on resumption of bilateral ties after seeking some clarity from their government.
PCB Chief Operating Officer Subhan Ahmad told PTI that the board was following the announcement by All India Football Federatiion President Praful Patel that Pakistan and India's football teams would be playing a three-match series in the United Kingdom from August 25.
"The announcement is a positive development as obviously the Indian and Pakistan football bodies would have got clearance from their governments to organise and announce the series," Ahmad said.
"We are ready to play in India or at an offshore venue but all this will come later once we get the go ahead from the Indians," he added.
According to the ICC Future Tours Programme, Pakistan and India are tied to play a series including three Tests and five ODIs in March-April next year.
The archrivals have not played a series since 2007 due to strained relations between the two countries in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008.
Shukla dismissed reports that the Indian government had given negative signals to the BCCI regarding playing a bilateral series with Pakistan.
"We're yet to receive the government's response. We'll finalise things first and then seek permission from the government. There is no truth on such reports," he said.