LONDON, Oct 23: International Cricket Council (ICC) president Ehsan Mani has welcomed the Indian government’s announcement of the resumption of bilateral cricket ties with hostile neighbour Pakistan.

“The international cricket community is delighted with this positive step,” Mani said in a statement.

“The India-Pakistan rivalry is one of the great rivalries not only in cricket but also in world sport and the resumption of series between these countries is a boost for the game.

“I believe these matches will help build greater understanding between the two countries.”

New Delhi said on Wednesday it would resume all sporting relations with Pakistan, including bilateral cricket, which has been suspended since 2000 due to tensions over the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir.

“We have been looking forward to this for a long time,” Karunakaran Nair, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), said in Chennai.

“We’re happy because the decision has come at the right time. Our junior team was anyway going to play in Pakistan this month and this latest decision should pave the way for the full Test series next year,” he added.

India are scheduled to tour Pakistan in February, according to the ICC’s calendar.

India last visited Pakistan for a full Test series in 1989-90 and Pakistan’s last tour of India was in 1999.—Reuters