November 20, 2008	Thursday	Ziqa'ad 21, 1429

NEW DELHI, Nov 19: India will not confirm the tour of Pakistan early next year until it is cleared by the government, a top cricket official said on Wednesday.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has sought security clearance from the government to go ahead with the tour, its president Shashank Manohar told local media.

“The tour will be finalised once we get the clearance from the government,” said Manohar. “Nothing can be confirmed before that.”

India are scheduled to play three Tests, five One-day Internationals and a Twenty20 International during the five-week tour from Jan 13 to Feb 19.

It will be the fifth bilateral series between the two countries since 2004, when cricket ties resumed after a 15-year gap due to political tensions between the warring neighbours.

The tour was put in doubt after the Indian government denied permission to the national junior hockey team to visit Pakistan earlier this month.

Meanwhile, a Pakistan former cricket chief said India must tour the country early next year as planned or it could see Pakistani cricket “pushed to hell”.

“If Pakistan fails to convince India to tour then Pakistan cricket will be hit worse because other teams will not come. I see our cricket almost pushed to hell,” said former PCB chief executive Arif Abbasi.

Several international teams have refused to tour Pakistan over security fears.

Australia put off a tour earlier this year, saying they feared for their players’ safety in the wake of suicide bombings by militants.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) had to put off September’s elite Champions Trophy in Pakistan for 12 months after South Africa pulled out of the event while Australia, New Zealand and England raised security concerns. Recent media reports have suggested that the series could be held in India or at a neutral venue if the Indian government denies permission to play in Pakistan.—AFP