Pak-India cricket deadlock: 2008-2012 [Part 3]
Continued from Part 2 ...
With the PCB looking to move the national team’s home series to neutral venues in the aftermath of the 2009 terrorist attacks on the Sri Lankan team, then Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ijaz Butt also shifted into over-drive during late 2009 in regards
to the revival of cricketing ties between Pakistan and India. Butt claimed India were open to the prospect of resuming bilateral cricketing ties with Pakistan at neutral venues, and that the ICC had offered its support for the issue.
“... there have been efforts to revive Indo-Pak cricket and India has shown interest in playing on neutral venues,” Butt said while speaking to AFP.
The matter looked to be developing further when then BCCI president http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 in Mohali. The visit gave rise to speculations
regarding the possibility of an impending Pakistan-India series. Butt’s comments added fuel to the fire, as the PCB chairman claimed he was reluctant to say anything until things matured, and added that the revival of bilateral ties was being worked upon by
Pakistan, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 and the ICC.
Meanwhile, the Indian board claimed that the visit was nothing more than a routine invitation, and would not involve any talks. Next month, in November, the BCCI went on to quell any rumours by clarifying that a resumption of ties was not on the cards, at
least until late 2010. It was revealed that Shashank Manohar had told Ijaz Butt during his visit that sporting relations could only be resumed after government clearance.
“There is simply no space (for a bilateral series). Conditions also have to be conducive between the two countries in terms of diplomatic relations,” said BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla, going on to add that the Indian team’s schedule was full. The PCB
suggested that they be allowed to stage the “home” series (for which they were due to host their neighbours during early 2009) in India. However, nothing came of the suggestion.
The issue continued to hang in limbo for the next two years, as the PCB put several suggestions on the table, all of which were given a lukewarm response by the BCCI.
Then ICC president http://www.senore.com/Cricket/David-Ross-Morgan-c53203, while speaking to ESPNCricinfo (then known as
Cricinfo) in January 2010, claimed that he was working on “trying to persuade the BCCI that they should play bilaterally as opposed to in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Delhi-c780 to discuss
the possibility of resuming ties and organising an India-http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 match in order to raise funds for flood relief efforts in Pakistan.
2011 brought much of the same – the only excitement was a keenly-anticipated Indo-Pak clash during the 2011 World Cup. Despite the freeze in bilateral ties, Pakistan and India continued to play each other in international events, and the World Cup semi-final
at the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Manmohan-Singh-c74213 issued an invitation to his Pakistani
counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani for the event, and as a packed stadium watched the tense encounter unfold, with the entire sub-continent at a standstill, India eventually walked away victorious. The event brought to light, more than anything else, what the
cricketing world had been missing all these years, deprived as they were of Indo-Pak cricket.
Continued in Part 4 ...
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