LAHORE - Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shaharyar M Khan Thursday said the country was hopeful of reviving ties with arch-rival India with a series in December following what he called a ‘successful’ meeting with his counterpart in New Delhi.
Shaharyar visited India earlier this week and met his Indian counterpart Jagmohan Dalmiya as well as finance and information minister Arun Jaitley. Shaharyar said he was confident that bilateral series -- suspended since the Mumbai attacks in 2008 -- would be resurrected. "It was a successful tour and I met Dalmiya and Jaitley to talk about the revival of Indo-Pak series," the PCB chief told the reporters here at the Gaddafi Stadium. "Jaitley told me that he feels the green light will be given in this regard. It’s not given yet but will be given in the next two months," he added.
Pakistan and India signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) last year to play six series from 2015-2023 pending their governments` clearance, four of which will be hosted by Pakistan. The first series comprising two Tests, five one-dayers and two Twenty20 internationals is scheduled for December-January in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Pakistan’s adopted home since 2009. Pakistan have been forced to play their home series in UAE since militants attacked the Sri Lankan team bus in 2009, forcing the suspension of international cricket on home soil.
"When we signed the MoU, there was a different government and now there is a new government so the Indian board has to take permission with the incumbent one." Welcoming Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s stance on the issue, Shaharyar said: "After my meetings, PM Modi has given a statement in a parliamentary party meeting that he wants to play cricket with Pakistan, which is encouraging."
"I told Dalimya that you, as then Indian cricket chief, set aside political problems in 2004 to play a historic series in Pakistan and that paved the way for people-to-people contact as well," he added. India last toured Pakistan in 2006 while Pakistan toured India in 2007. India also toured Pakistan to play in the multinational Asia Cup in 2008. Shaharyar said that the BCCI top brass voiced their reservations about 'Ten Sports' being the official broadcasters if the first of the proposed series happens in the UAE. Ten Sports, which is backed by Essel Group owner Subhas Chandra, has had run-ins with BCCI after they started now defunct rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL) and are again planning to walk the same route. The Indian Cricket Board doesn't want any kind of working relationship where Essel group is involved.
"BCCI top officials say that it's a problem since Ten Sports has broadcasting rights. They said that Ten Sports wants to start a rebel league against IPL. Now I am made to understand that if you are against IPL, then you are against ICC also. So Ten Sports is the problem," he added. It has been learnt that BCCI is keen to hold the first series in India and in that case, Star Sports will be airing the matches live.