India indicates to send cricket team to Pakistan

Karachi, Dec 23: India has indicated to send its cricket team to Pakistan for a short Test series on Jan 8, highly placed sources in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said late Saturday evening.

The sources added that the assurance of Indian team's tour was conveyed by A.C Muttiah, president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to his Pakistani counterpart Lt Gen Tauqir Zia on Saturday afternoon.

The sources further stated that Muttiah has promised to send the proposed itinerary for a two-Test, five one-day internationals and one four-day series on Dec 27.

"We will officially announce the arrival of the Indians on Wednesday when we get the proposed itinerary," sources said.

"Nevertheless, we still consider the Indian tour as on because we have been contacted by someone who is a very responsible and senior official of the Indian board," sources added.

"The BCCI never wrote to us that the series has been cancelled. Their stand was clear that they have not been given permission by the government. And now since they have been given a go-ahead, they have approached us."

Pakistan had announced the cancellation of the series earlier this week saying it had waited for any positive response from across the border until Dec 11.

The India government on Nov 15 had refused permission to its cricket managers to send the team to Pakistan alleging that Pakistan was patronizing cross border terrorism, a claim which has been vehementally denied by Islamabad.

"The Indian tour will be considered as a goodwill tour, similar to the one of last year when we visited India for two Tests, an Asian Test Championship match and the triangular one-day series," sources said.

Muttiah contacted the general after being instructed by Uma Bharti (the Indian sports minister), sources said. "Uma Bharti told Muttiah to immediately submit a request for a short tour to Pakistan for official approval."

Lt Gen Tauqir Zia admitted that he has also been informed of India's tour by Pakistan's Foreign Ministry. "Yes, I have been told by the ministry that the India government is contemplating giving permission to its cricket board to send the team to Pakistan."

He said the training camp scheduled to start from Jan 2 in Lahore will now be considered as a conditioning camp for the Indian series.

"It was previously supposed to be a training camp for the New Zealand tour. But now we will consider it as a tune-up for the crunch series against India," the general said.

"But let's see if TransWorld International (TWI) can meet their requirements in the given time. TWI requires a minimum of 10 days to import and instal their equipment," the PCB director operations Brig Munawar Rana said.

Time factor doesn't seem to be a real problem for India as they are due to face Australia in the first Test at Mumbai between Feb 27 and March 3. The Australians are scheduled to land in Mumbai on Feb 14 on a seven-week tour for three Tests and five one-day internationals.

According to the original itinerary comprising three Tests, two fourdayers and five one-dayers, the Indians were programmed to tour Pakistan between Dec 26 and Feb 8.

India last toured Pakistan in 1989-90 under Kris Srikkanth for a four- Test series which ended in a 0-0 stalemate. In 1997, Sachin Tendulkar skippered the Indian team here for a three-match one-day international series which Pakistan won 2-1.