LAHORE: A mist of confusion hovers over the Indo-Pak bilateral series with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) denying that the government has given it the go-ahead to host India in Sri Lanka, saying that nothing is still final regarding the scheduled series.

Stating categorically that things stood at square one in connection with the series in question, Shaharyar said that the venue which could either be Sri Lanka or Bangladesh is yet to be decided.

Talking to reporters here on Thursday, the PCB chairman, who has written a letter to the patron-in-chief of the Board (prime minister)the other day, said that he was still waiting for the go-ahead from the government.

He said that Sri Lanka was not the final venue as Bangladesh could also suit Pakistan’s interest, adding that rains in December and January in Sri Lanka could mar matches in the island country.

It may be mentioned that the BCCI in aftermath of its refusal to play at the regular neutral venue of the PCB — the UAE — has no issue with Bangladesh as neutral venue.

When asked relations between Pakistan and Bangladesh were not exemplary at the moment, Shaharyar said the government had advised Bangladesh to move forward by ignoring the past.

Notwithstanding, he said nothing was confirmed in this regard while hoping that something positive would emerge in the next couple of days.

Shaharyar further said that if Sri Lanka was chosen as the venue for the series, the PCB won’t send any security team to the island country in connection with security arrangements.

The chairman said that it was not necessary for chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board Giles Clarke to make any announcement regarding the Indo-Pak series, adding that both the boards could also do the same after receiving the go-ahead from their respective governments.

Shaharyar also termed the Indo-Pak series bigger than the Ashes.

The chairman also said that Clarke would come to Pakistan in the first week of January next year as part of overseeing the arrangements as head of the ICC’s Pakistan Task Force.

Arrangements will be made during Clarke’s visit to host a Commonwealth cricket team in Pakistan as part of the resumption of international cricket.

Published in Dawn, November 27th, 2015