Pakistan pleased by BCCI invitation
Pakistan Cricket Board has welcomed an inivtation from The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BBCI) for a Pakistani team to play in the Champions League Twenty20 tournament this year.
The BCCI approved Pakistan’s participation in the tournament after a meeting in Chennai.
Pakistan Cricket Board chief operating officer,
order Subhan Ahmed,
order said: “We feel it’s a significant and positive development.” told AFP.”We had been in touch with the BCCI over the participation of a Pakistan team and hope that this step could lead to a revival of Indo-Pak cricketing ties.
The invite to the tournament,
apoplectic came a month after Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari urged Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to consider reviving cricket ties, during a private visit to New Delhi.
The Sialkot Stallions were supposed to compete in the competition in 2009 but the plans collapsed after the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai.
The PCB is still trying to find an appropriate ‘neutral venue’ for its one day series with Australia in August after Sri Lanka withdrew its offer to organise the series.
A PCB official said the Sri Lankan cricket board after initially confirming it would host the series of five ODIs and three T20 matches from mid-August had now changed its mind.
PCB chief operating officer, Subhan Ahmed, said.“Apparently, they have changed their mind because they are holding the Sri Lankan Premier League T20 event from August 10 and its dates are clashing with our series,” COO Subhan Ahmed said.
Ahmed said the Sri Lankan withdrawal was very disappointing but now the PCB had no option but to look for alternate venues to host the series.
“The series is an important part of our preparations for the ICC T20 World Cup in September. We are now looking at possible neutral venues in South Africa, Malaysia and even UAE,” he said.
Pakistan had initially dropped UAE as a neutral venue for the series due to the dates of matches clashing with the end of the fasting month of Ramadan and Eid festival and also because of the weather at that time of the year in the Emirate states.
“We had started our preparations for the series and were looking at the commercial aspects of marketing the series in Sri Lanka but now we have to start afresh,” he said. Sri Lanka had agreed to host the series of five ODIs and three T20 matches from mid-August after the Australians refused to tour Pakistan because of security concerns.”Pakistan Cricket Board has welcomed an invitation from The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BBCI) for a Pakistani team to play in the Champions League Twenty20 tournament this year.The BCCI approved Pakistan’s participation in the tournament after a meeting in Chennai.Pakistan Cricket Board has welcomed an inivtation from The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BBCI) for a Pakistani team to play in the Champions League Twenty20 tournament this year.
Pakistan Cricket Board has welcomed an inivtation from The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BBCI) for a Pakistani team to play in the Champions League Twenty20 tournament this year.
Pakistan Cricket Board chief operating officer, Subhan Ahmed, said: “We feel it’s a significant and positive development. We had been in touch with the BCCI over the participation of a Pakistan team and hope that this step could lead to a revival of Indo-Pak cricketing ties.”
The tournament is contested by teams from India, Australia, New Zealand, West Indies, Sri Lanka, South Africa and England. To date, no Pakistani teams have competed. The Sialkot Stallions were supposed to compete in the competition in 2009 but the plans collapsed after the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai.
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