India-Pak cricket series all but cancelled

‘The Dawn’ quoted Indian High Commission source as saying, “Under the present circumstances and the recent ‘Mumbai mayhem’ playing sports with Pakistan at any level is impossible”.

The PCB faces an extreme difficulty to convince their counterparts in India for the upcoming series in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai.

The Board of Cricket Control of India (BCCI), he said, is waiting for the ”yes” or a ”no” from the Indian government but chances for a ”no” are much higher.

Pakistani people, he said, may see Indian team in action only if the strained diplomatic relations between the two arch-rival countries inch towards normalization.

”Terrorists have attacked at the heart of Indian financial capital city Mumbai and people in India have their firm belief that playing with Pakistan may not heal their wounds even through the game of cricket.”

”The government is not even willing to send the security experts to Pakistan so they can clear the security doubts prevailing here” he said.

A top PCB official based in Lahore on condition of anonymity informed, ”We have not received any written document from the BCCI for the cancellation of scheduled cricket series until now and if it’s cancelled the board may run into serious financial trouble as the losses will be in billions”.

The PCB, he said, would seek the intervention of ICC as this would be a clear violation of ICC Future Tours Programs (FTP).

The official added that Sri Lanka is willing to tour Pakistan in case Indians take a U-turn on their scheduled tour due next year.