Pakistan’s cricket chief Shaharyar Khan Saturday ruled out any chance of sending his national team to India after his counterpart offered to play a proposed series there.
Khan revealed the BCCI has offered to play the series in India, but insisted that the current atmosphere would not allow that to happen.
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“BCCI chief Shashank Manohar telephoned me on Friday and has offered to play the matches in India, but the current situation is not conducive to send the Pakistan team there,” Khan said.
“Our artists were not accepted in India and there was an incident of protest against our former foreign minister Khursheed Kasuri so we have asked them to send any proposal in writting.”
BCCI president Manohar, however, said that they have not even approached the government yet for clearance and any statement to this effect was not correct.
“It’s an incorrect statement. We have not yet approached the government.
“Yes, I have talked to him over phone and we may talk again in the next couple of days,” he said.
Khan said the BCCI chief has assured him of providing safe venues, but he would still like the series to be played at neutral venues in the UAE.
“Manohar clarified that the matches would be hosted in cities where there were no security concerns but according to our initial agreement the series was scheduled to take place in UAE and we should abide by that,” Khan said.
Pakistan expect a revenue of $50 million from the series in UAE.
Pakistan and India are due to play a series of two Tests, five one-dayers and two Twenty20 internationals in December-January, the first of six that the arch rivals agreed to play under a Memorandum of Understanding signed last year – all subject to clearance from the respective governments.
But the current strained political situation with regular ceasefire violations from both sides and cancellation of talks between the security advisers of the two countries in August leaves the series in serious doubt.
