Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Ijaz Butt hopes that the bilateral series with India will be arranged soon. “I held discussions with Indian officials and both countries have shown their eagerness for the revival of the series,” Butt said.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) in its Future Tour Programme, has scheduled an Indo-Pak series in April-March 2012, but it wasn’t finalised. However, Butt, in his recent tour to India, held a meeting with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) officials and revealed that the meeting would become a positive step for the revival of cricket between the two nations.
The PCB has been continuously working on the revival of cricket ties using all their means, but their efforts so far have not received any positive response. The board also presented the issue even in front of the world’s cricket governing body in its annual meeting by the end of June, as both the arch-rivals have not faced each other in any bilateral series since late 2007, but it was not fruitful.
Tensions in the cricketing relations of both the countries were created after militants attacked Mumbai in 2008. Pakistan cricket team last toured India in late 2007, while India were supposed to come to Pakistan for a full series in early 2009. Unfortunately, after the Mumbai attacks, India withdrew all of their series in the country which caused heavy financial losses to the PCB.
“We’re working on finalising terms and conditions and fans will hear the good news soon,” he added. India also stopped Pakistani cricketers from participating in their money spinning Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 tournament, after their participation in the first season in 2008. “We are still at a stage of finalising things. Confirming anything on the venue would be premature,” Butt said. The PCB officials are also supposed to have a meeting with the BCCI officials in next month, where they will convince India to play bilateral series, to compensate their cancelled tour of 2009.
