India says yes to cricket with Pakistan

NEW DELHI: India has decided in principle to resume bilateral cricket ties with Pakistan, a fortnight after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh invited his counterpart Yusuf Raza Gilani to watch the World Cup semi-final at Mohali.

Government sources said the Indian team may visit Pakistan for a three or five-match series, when the calendar of their tournaments permits them. The schedule and venues will be decided by BCCI and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). A senior official here said though the threat perception of the Indian team remains high, the Pakistan government will be making all arrangements to provide foolproof security to the Indian team.

A slot for a tournament in Pakistan may not be possible in the near future, given the Indian team's packed schedule till next February. According to the tour schedule prepared by the International Cricket Council, Pakistan is to visit India for three tests and five One Day International in March 2012.

Agency reports quoted BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla and chief administrative officer Ratnakar Shetty as saying that they were not aware of any decision to resume bilateral cricketing ties.

Before coming face to face for the World Cup semi-final match at Mohali on March 30, India had last played Pakistan at an Asia Cup match in June, 2010, at Dambula in Sri Lanka.

The last bilateral cricket series between India and Pakistan was held in 2007-2008, when the Pakistani team had visited India. No international cricket team has visited Pakistan to play any match after the terror attack on a Sri Lankan cricket team on March 3, 2009, when six members of the visiting team were injured. Six Pakistani policemen and two civilians were killed in the incident.