India call off tour to Pakistan

India's scheduled tour of Pakistan next month was conclusively called off after Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Jagmohan Dalmiya stated that the team would not be able to undertake the tour because of a government ban on bilateral cricket series with Pakistan.

"It is known to everybody that the government is against bilateral cricket ties with Pakistan," Dalmiya told the Press Trust of India (PTI).

"We had sought permission for the team to travel to Pakistan but have been told that the government's position remains unchanged," explained SK Nair, BCCI secretary. "The government has informed us that the security scenario in Pakistan is not conducive for an Indian tour."

Following that announcement, Pakistan for its part pulled out of a scheduled tour to India next year. "BCCI chief Jagmohan Dalmiya informed us that though they were willing to tour Pakistan, the Indian government has not given them the approval," Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) spokesperson Samiul Hassan told PTI in Islamabad.

According to the 10-year Test schedule drawn up by the International Cricket Council (ICC), India and Pakistan are scheduled to play four bilateral series until 2010.