Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Rajeev Shukla confirmed on Thursday that Sri Lanka will be the neutral venue hosting the cricket series between India and Pakistan scheduled next month.
Shukla, also a senior BCCI functionary, told the media:
“India-Pakistan series will happen tentatively from December 15 in Sri Lanka which will mark the resumption of cricketing ties between the two sides.”
Earlier today, Pakistani media reported that Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has given his nod for his country’s cricket team to play the series against India in Sri Lanka. The developments follow a meeting of top officials of India and Pakistan’s cricket board at headquarters of the International Cricket Council in Dubai on Sunday.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India had earlier proposed Pakistan to play limited-overs series against them in India in December, which include five ODIs and two T20s. However, the proposal was shot down by PCB chief Shahryar Khan, who said he would not compromise on players’ safety.
India have not played a full bilateral Test series with Pakistan after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
The last time the two nations played was in 2012-13 when Pakistan visited India for a three-match One Day International (ODI) and two-match Twenty20 series.
According to a memorandum of understanding signed between the PCB and BCCI, both countries are scheduled to play six series between 2015 and 2023 after a clearance from the Indian Government.
(With ANI inputs)