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PCB plans domestic T20 as back-up for India series

The PCB has made a plan B of holding the Pentangular T20 Cup in case the proposed India-Pakistan series doesn't go ahead

Umar Farooq
Umar Farooq
28-Nov-2015
The proposed Pentangular T20 Cup is expected to feature five sides and will engage the country's top 75 domestic players  •  Northern Districts Cricket Association

The proposed Pentangular T20 Cup is expected to feature five sides and will engage the country's top 75 domestic players  •  Northern Districts Cricket Association

The PCB has made a plan B of holding the Pentangular T20 Cup in case the proposed India-Pakistan series does not go ahead.
Although the Pakistan government has given the nod to play India in Sri Lanka, the PCB has been fretting over the continuous delay from their Indian counterparts. While there were ideas to engage an international team, PCB believes it is not feasible to arrange an international tour in such a short notice.
"We are concerned and given the short time we have to have a back-up plan," a senior PCB board official told ESPNcricinfo. "We were expecting them [BCCI] to respond by this week, but unfortunately news coming from India is extremely discouraging. We, in the meantime, are planning a five-team T20 tournament for next month in case BCCI pulls out of their commitment."
The tournament, which is a new addition to the domestic calendar, will be a one-off and feature provisional sides - Punjab, Sindh, Baluchistan, Khyber Pukhtoonkhwa and Federal Areas. The format is in-line with the already planned Pakistan Super League, with the top 75 players distributed among the five teams. Should it materialise, it would be the third T20 tournament organised by the PCB this year.
According to the Future Tours Programme, a series of two Tests, three ODI and two T20 was originally scheduled between India and Pakistan in the UAE in December 2015.
With the BCCI insisting they would play Pakistan only at home, which the PCB categorically rejected, a compromise formula appeared to have been reached when Sri Lanka was proposed as an alternate venue for a short limited-overs series following meetings between Shaharyar Khan and Shashank Manohar in Dubai, with Giles Clarke, the ECB chief, playing the role of a mediator.
While the Pakistan government has responded positively, there has not been much said by India yet. On their part, the BCCI confirmed earlier that they had written to their government asking for a clearance for the tour. But the delay in granting permission has put a cloud over the revival of the series.

Umar Farooq is ESPNcricinfo's Pakistan correspondent. @kalson