Abu Dhabi most suitable venue: Pawar

BCCI president Sharad Pawar believes Abu Dhabi is the most appropriate neutral venue for holding India-Pakistan ties and will remain one of the most preferred offshore places for conducting matches between the two sides in the next five years.

"Abu Dhabi is the most suitable venue for the two teams to play offshore and it is appreciated by both the UAE and Indian governments," Mr. Pawar was quoted by the Khaleej Times as saying.

"Abu Dhabi is definitely one of the preferred offshore venues for having an India-Pakistan series for the next five years", he said.

The BCCI will conduct offshore matches at Abu Dhabi, US, Singapore, Canada and Kenya in the next five years but Sharjah, a one-time cricket hotspot in the Gulf, has been completely left out of the picture.

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The BCCI chief said the venue would be discussed in the near future.

"We'll talk on this subject and try to resolve this matter," he assured.

Mr. Pawar said the aim of conducting such series was to take the sport to different parts of the world.

"The thinking of the two cricket boards, the BCCI and the PCB, is to popularise sport in offshore venues such as Abu Dhabi where there is a tremendous following for the game. That's why we have sent the strongest available teams for the two matches," he explained.

- UNI