December 19, 2008	Friday	Zilhaj 20, 1429

MUMBAI, Dec 18: India have called off next month’s cricket tour of Pakistan, the government refusing permission amid simmering tension between the two neighbours.

“We have received a letter from the government that the tour is not feasible under the prevailing circumstances,” Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chief administrative officer Ratnakar Shetty said on Thursday.

A senior Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official said an official invitation had already been sent to Sri Lanka to play three tests, three one-dayers and a Twenty20 match to replace the cancelled tour.

“It is disappointing for us but we were expecting this,” PCB chief operating officer Salim Altaf told reporters in Lahore.

An International Cricket Council (ICC) spokesman said it was too early to say whether India’s decision could hurt the World Cup.

“It is far too ahead to speculate on that,” he said. “We are putting all plans in place and look forward to a very successful event.”

Any hopes of the Jan 13-Feb 19 tour going ahead seemed to disappear when federal sports minister Manohar Singh Gill opposed the trip earlier this month.

“It’s probably sensible not to go,” former India captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi told Reuters.

“The situation is tense...better to allow some time for tempers to cool down a bit and take another look at it in a few months.”

International Cricket Council chief executive Haroon Lorgat said last week: “If the government determines that you can’t go and tour, we’ve got to respect that. That’s the government’s decision and there is nothing that the ICC can do against that.”—Reuters