PCB chief expects India v Pakistan series this year – Cricket News Update
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 Cricket Board chief Zaka Ashraf has revealed that the recently proposed, and long-awaited series between Pakistan and India is due to be held later this year, though final dates cannot be announced until after the ICC’s Annual Conference in Kuala
Lumpur later this month.
“Nothing has been finalized as yet because http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 will come up with a proposal at Kuala Lumpur, but what I felt was that the series will be held this year,” Ashraf said.
The last bilateral series between the two teams was played in India during 2007, after which the Men In Blue were due to tour Pakistan. However, the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mumbai-c820 terror attacks in 2008 brought diplomatic relations between the two nations to a halt, which subsequently
led to a deadlock in sporting ties.
While Pakistan visited India for the 2011 World Cup, and the two teams had a face-off during the Asia Cup held in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bangladesh-c747 during March this year, they have yet to host each other for a bilateral series. However, the sporting ties between the two countries
appear to be on the mend, as the BCCI recently agreed to allow Pakistan’s T20 champions, the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sialkot-c842 Stallions, to compete in the Champions League T20 scheduled to be held later this year, in addition to inviting Ashraf to Chennai to watch the final of the
Indian Premier League.
Ashraf termed is visit to India “fruitful”, and confirmed that the revival of bilateral ties was underway – after having met with BCCI president Narainswamy http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Srinivasan-c90829, the two boards agreed to find a free slot for a short series due to be played later this
year on a yet undetermined date in India.
“He told me 'just give us a little time, we will talk more on this in Kuala Lumpur after I talk with other BCCI officials,” Ashraf confirmed. “I think our (cricketing) relations will be revived very soon and people will hear the good news.”
In addition to Srinivasan, the PCB chief also met with outgoing Pakistan ambassador to India, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sharadchandra-Govindrao-Pawar-c89751, Rajiv Shukla (IPL chairman), and Arun Jaitley (a senior BCCI functionary, and an opposition party leader) – all of whom
encouraged the initiative “to build up a relationship and revive the cricketing ties”, according to http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ashraf-c46397.
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