ABU DHABI, Nov 15: A senior Pakistan cricket official on Saturday termed shifting of the home series against India to neutral venues as “mere speculation”, saying preparations are at full swing in the country.

India are scheduled to tour Pakistan in January-February to play a side game, three Tests, five One-day Internationals and a Twenty20 International but the tour is already in doubt over the security situation in the host country.

But the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chief Operating Officer, Salim Altaf, voiced confidence the series would go ahead as per the schedule.

“We have not heard anything from the Indian cricket board and until we hear something contrary, the Indian team will play the first match on the Jan 9 in Hyderabad and the first Test starts on the 13th in Karachi,” Salim told reporters.

The Indian government cancelled a low-profile junior hockey team’s tour to Pakistan over security fears earlier this week, further raising doubts over the cricket series.

But Salim disagreed that the move would affect cricket.

“The cricket tour is a high profile one, with both the boards guided by what their governments tell them, and normally there is a security assessment tour which will take place before the series,” he said.

If Pakistan were forced to shift the series to the neutral venues of Abu Dhabi and Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates or to England in summer, they would endanger their home series against Australia in March and the rescheduled ICC Champions Trophy in September next year.

Australia were the first to shun a tour of Pakistan in March this year over security fears. They rescheduled the Tests for March 2009 and one-day matches for 2010.

The International Cricket Council, forced to put off the Champions Trophy over security fears in August this year over security fears, rescheduled the event to September next year but said Pakistan hosting India will be a trial for the elite event.

Salim said the option of neutral venues would only be considered as a last resort.

“Our chairman [Ijaz Butt] has a flexible approach and if that situation arises we have the option of the UAE and England but what we have seen in the past is that revenues earned at neutral venues are not encouraging,” said Salim.

“Pakistan this year had no international cricket and the ardent admirers have missed Australia and so India should come so that we have other teams and other events in our country,” said Salim, who himself is a former Test paceman.—AFP