LAHORE: While hinting that India and Pakistan could resume their much-awaited bilateral series amid a facilitating role played by England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) president Giles Clarke, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shaharyar Khan on Monday said a final decision in this regard would be announced after receiving go-ahead from both the governments.

“Yesterday, we [Manohar and Shaharyar] held a meeting at the ICC offices [in Dubai] for which Clarke played the role of facilitator. While welcoming us, Clarke expressed that he wanted to arrange a meeting between us. We held a fruitful meeting but I can’t say anything further in this respect because it has been decided that all the details of the meeting will be announced by Clarke most probably on Monday (today). Things will be clear in the next couple of days,” Shaharyar said in his brief media talk without divulging any information about the final outcome of his meeting with Manohar.

Hinting Sri Lanka may be the neutral venue, instead of the UAE, for the scheduled series in coming December with Pakistan as hosts, Sharharyar, to a question that a Sri Lanka Cricket official had said they were ready to host the two countries for the said series, said, “We are glad for that but I can’t say anything further on it.”

Asked if he would also meet Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, as he had been quoted in the press that the PCB would not take any decision about the India series without his approval, Shaharyar said, “Of course we have decided that the two governments will approve the series and though it is not possible for me to have a meeting with the prime minister in the near future because of his pressing engagements, I will inform him about the details through a letter to get his guidance.”

Giles Clarke played positive role as facilitator in Dubai

The PCB chief sounded diplomatic when his attention was brought to the recent statement made by Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz in which he had reportedly said that Pakistan would only play India at neutral venue.

“Sartaj is a very respectable person; our stance is clear that it is our series and I will not speak further on it,” Shaharyar said, adding that once the two governments gave their go-ahead all the arrangements for the series would be completed.

Meanwhile, sources said Clarke’s role was very positive during Sunday’s meeting in Dubai. The ECB chairman acknowledged the point raised by the PCB that as hosts they held the right to decide the venue, and that the BCCI had no solid reason in asking the PCB to come to India to play their (Pakistan’s) home series, sources added.

Clarke is also chairman of the Pakistan Task Force, formed by the ICC to work on how to resume international cricket in Pakistan, which has been suspended since March 2009 after armed terrorists attacked visiting Sri Lankan cricket squad in Lahore.

According to sources, the BCCI was not ready to play the series in the UAE and instead it suggested Bangladesh as the venue, which was not acceptable to the PCB, mainly because of the current political tension between Pakistan and Bangladesh over the execution of some veteran political leaders in Bangladesh who were considered close to Pakistan.

However, Sri Lanka emerged as the front-runner as both India and Pakistan had to take one step back from their early approach — Pakistan ready to ignore its regular neutral venue of the UAE and India stepping back from its stance to invite Pakistan to India for the series.

Meanwhile, PCB chairman hailed Pakistan’s performance in the recently held fourth ODI against England in Dubai, where Azhar Ali-led team lost to England by 84 runs, and the series 1-3.

“Though we lost the [fourth] match but the way our team fought for the win while chasing a big target (355) made me feel proud. Winning and losing are part and parcel in any sport. Our fielding was good, it was exemplary, I have never seen it before. I congratulate the head coach for this,” Shaharyar said.

APP adds: Sri Lanka is fast emerging as the likeliest venue to host a shortened bilateral series between Pakistan and India.

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has been sounded out by the PCB and appears very keen to host the series.

“Things have moved fast since Manohar and Shaharyar met in Dubai to break the deadlock over where the series should be held. The BCCI has made no comment as yet on the meeting, and Manohar left Dubai this morning to return to India,” a cricket website reported on Monday.

Shaharyar and Najam Sethi, head of PCB executive committee, came out of the Dubai meeting sounding optimistic, but they did not divulge any details.

Those were supposed to be provided by Clarke at a media briefing in Dubai but it is understood that would not happen. The ICC also confirmed there was no media conference scheduled.

The UAE has not been officially dropped as venue but Manohar’s opposition to play there remained. So holding the series at a neutral place like Sri Lanka was one of the proposals the PCB placed at the Dubai meeting.

Published in Dawn, November 24th, 2015