Pak to play full series in WI in July; host India in August

With an intention of hosting India in August next year, the Pakistan Cricket Board has convinced its West Indies counterpart not split the national team's scheduled tour to the Caribbean and instead play a full series in July.

The sources in the PCB confirmed that Pakistan will now be travelling to the West Indies in July 2013 to play a full series of two Tests, five ODIs and a Twenty20 International.

"The problem is now sorted out and our team will be touring (WIndies) in July as planned earlier," a source said.

The tour had ran into trouble when the West Indies cricket board suggested to the PCB to either postpone the series by a few weeks or to split the tour as they wanted to host India and Sri Lanka for a short ODI series, also in July.

But the PCB insisted on the tour in July as it is planning to convince the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to play a series in August when both teams have windows open in the period in the ICC future tours program.

"Pakistan is very hopeful and keen that India can be convinced to come to Pakistan because India has made it clear it does not have a policy of playing any bilateral series in a third country," the source said.

He said due to good connections and relations that the PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraf has with the government and authorities and because of the confidence reposed in him by the board's chief patron, President Asif Zardari, the board was hopeful it could get the government to give an assurance of foolproof security for the Indian team.

"Since bilateral ties have resumed after five years (as India and Pakistan are playing each other currently in India) and presently there is lot of positivity in relations between the two boards, there is a good chance that India might listen to the suggestion of playing in August," another source said.

... contd.

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