India, Pakistan 'most likely' to play in Sri Lanka from Dec 20 to Jan 3
The Indo-Pak cricket series will include three ODIs' and two Twenty20 matches.
DUBAI (Web Desk) – The deadlock over a proposed series between arch-rivals India and Pakistan has ended up as the both countries are likely to play cricket series in neutral venue Sri Lanka from December 20 to January 3, Indian media reported.
It was revealed that Sri Lanka has been decided as a venue for the forthcoming bilateral series between Pakistan and India. It was reported that Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) wanted the decision to be announced either by Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) or jointly with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
The BCCI chief Shashank Manohar has proposed three ODIs and two Twenty20 matches.
The series would commence on December 20 and will end on January 3 whereas most of the matches are thought to be played in Colombo, but Kandy was also considered in this regard.
‘We will be more than happy to host high profile matches between India and Pakistan,’ Sidath Wettimuny, chief of SLC Board said on Monday morning.
Earlier, the newly-elected president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Shashank Manohar, who is in Dubai to familiarise with the working of the International Cricket Council (ICC), invited Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shaharyar Khan for a meeting at the ICC headquarters.
The meeting was also attended by PCB Executive Committee head Najam Sethi and Giles Clarke, the president of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
Khan said the meeting with Manohar had been "fruitful."
"We had a fruitful meeting in which Sethi was there, Clarke was there as facilitator, it was a fruitful meeting and the decision is that Clarke will brief the media tomorrow," Khan told media.
Meanwhile, Manohar stated that ‘we want to play in India, we gave an option to Pakistan asking them whether they will come to India. Pakistan was to get back to me, they haven t got back to me. So I don t know what is the position.’
Pakistan and India have not played a bilateral series since 2007.
