NEW DELHI – The Indian government has once again rejected any possibility of a cricket series between India and Pakistan proposed by BCCI.
According to Indian media, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Hansraj Ahir ruled out any cricket series under the current circumstances in the wake of Indian cricket board’s letter to the government seeking permission for a bilateral series.
Official spokesperson of the Ministry of Home Affairs however said that the final decision rested with Ministry of External Affairs since it involved a match outside India.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had written a letter to the Home Ministry seeking permission for a bilateral series to complete their obligations under the Future Tours & Programme (FTP) agreement which was inked in 2014.
Earlier, acting BCCI chief CK Khanna told ‘Cricketnext’ that a mail had been sent from the BCCI office.
‘A letter was sent to the home ministry a month back and we are awaiting clearance for a series this winter. It is a clear case of trying to honour the commitment we had made to the PCB back in 2014. We will discuss the venue and other factors regarding the series once we meet in the Capital on April 9 during the SGM,’ he said.
BCCI had proposed a full series consisting of three Tests, five one day internationals and two Twenty 20 internationals to be played in September or November.
Pakistan and India have not faced each other as part of bilateral series since 2012, Pakistan was set to host India in 2014 but due to protests by zealot groups in India, the tour could not be finalized.
Afterwards, In 2016, President of the Board of Control for Cricket Shashank Manohar wanted to host Pakistan for a short series in 2016 but the plan could not materialize owing to fraught relations between the two countries.
