KARACHI: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is unlikely to resist the appointment of N. Srinivasan as the chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC) this week in Melbourne after assured a bilateral series with India next year in the UAE.

A well-placed source in the PCB told the Press Trust of India (PTI) that chairman Najam Sethi and chief operating officer Subhan Ahmed have been in touch with BCCI officials and have been told that the BCCI has got positive signals from its government to resume bilateral ties with Pakistan.

Sethi also announced last week that Pakistan could be hosting India next year for a bilateral series as the newly installed Indian government had also given clearance for such a series.

“The PCB is also hoping that the BCCI will give final shape to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the two boards at the last meeting under which Pakistan and India will play five bilateral series from 2015 to 2022 in the Future Tours Programme (FTP),” he said.

Pakistan is to host three of these series as ‘home’ contests either at neutral venues or in Pakistan if conditions allow.

“With a lot at stake as far as Indo-Pak bilateral cricket relations are concerned, the PCB will not oppose the appointment of Srinivasan in Melbourne although Sethi has said that Pakistan’s support to the big three in the ICC and the widespread governance and financial model changes is conditional,” the source said.

He said the PCB was right now only interested in signing proper agreements with India and other boards for bilateral series over the next seven-year period.

Another PCB official said that in the ICC meet Pakistan would also be pushing for a reduction in the five-year ban on young pace bowler Mohammad Amir whose punishment ends in September 2015.

“Sethi has consulted lawyers and his aides and Pakistan will try to convince the executive board members that Amir should be given permission to resume playing first class cricket from this season in Pakistan,” he said.

Published in Dawn, June 24th , 2014