PCB chief: Hopes slim for Indo-Pak series

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shaharyar Khan has said that India’s Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj did not discuss resumption of cricketing ties with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during her visit here.

PCB was hoping Swaraj, who arrived here on Tuesday for the Heart of Asia regional conference, would give the green light to the series after a prolonged uncertainty.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is also waiting for the Indian government to give the go-ahead to the series.

A limited overs series, three One Day Internationals (ODIs) and two T20s, was agreed to between the two boards and was scheduled to start in December 15 in Sri Lanka but ran into trouble as the Indian government is yet to decide on it even as Sharif has given permission for it.

“We were hoping for some positive development finally but it is very disappointing that cricket was not discussed in the meeting between the Indian Foreign Minister and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif,” Khan was quoted as saying by The Dawn on Wednesday.

“The prospects of organising a series now seem very bleak and we stand to lose at least $50 million (Dh183.6 million) under the current scenario.”

The PCB chairman gave BCCI a December 7 deadline to decide on the series hoping for a positive response.