Chennai to take lead in cricket diplomacy series

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Chennai is likely to host the first ODI of the 'Revival Series' between India and Pakistan in the short series of ODIs and T20s scheduled in the last week of December on either side of which will be the test and ODI legs of England’s tour of India. This will be the first bilateral series since Pakistan toured India in Nov-Dec 2007.

The decision to revive cricket ties was taken Monday at the BCCI working committee meeting in Mumbai with senior BCCI official Rajiv Shukla saying the plan was to hold ODIs in Chennai, Delhi and Kolkata, and T20 matches in Ahmedabad and Bengaluru.

Incidentally, Chennai hosted the first Test in 1999 when Pakistan toured India after 12 years and the knowledgeable Chepauk crowd won the hearts of cricket lovers the world over when it gave a long standing ovation to Pakistan after they won a hard fought battle.

“Wasim Akram says hearing that ovation represented the best moment of his career. It was a gesture that proved sports can help heal any wound,” remarked Sadagoppan Ramesh.

The last time Pakistan played in India was in March 2011 in the no-fly Mohali zone featuring anti-aircraft guns and unprecedented security in a World Cup semi-final, a match witnessed by the prime ministers of both countries.

While the anticipation is the cricket would see an adrenaline surge in players of both nations, Indian opener Gautam Gambhir said he would treat the series as any other. 'As far as we are concerned, we just have to go out there and play", said Gautham.

India-Pakistan bilateral ties resume after 5 years

Discussions between the cricket boards of India and Pakistan and lately the governments, finally bore fruit here on Monday after a working committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India agreed to host Pakistan for three one-day international matches and two T20 internationals between December 2012 and January 2013.

The one-dayers will be played in Kolkata, Chennai and Delhi while Bengaluru and Ahmedabad will host the T20s during the intervening period when the touring England team will go back home for a Christmas break between the Test and ODI series.

“It was decided to resume cricketing ties with Pakistan by inviting the Pakistan cricket team for a short series in December 2012-January 2013. The modalities will be worked out shortly,” a BCCI statement said.

This is the first time that the arch-rivals will feature in a bilateral series in five years after relations between the two neighbours hit a downward spiral in light of the 2008 terrorist attack in Mumbai.

Though the two sides have been playing each other at multi-team events, most recently at the Asia Cup, they have not been involved in a bilateral series since India’s tour of Pakistan in 2007.

The spur to resumed cricketing came when the Prime Ministers of both countries met on the sidelines of the World Cup semi-final between the two sides in Mohali last year.

But it was given more concrete shape only recently when Pakistan Cricket Board chief Zaka Ashraf held several rounds of discussions with BCCI president N. Srinivasan during the former’s visit to India and at last month’s International Cricket Council and Asian Cricket Council meetings in Malaysia.

The BCCI’s invitation to Pakistan’s domestic T20 champions, Sialkot Stallions, to participate in the qualifying tournament of Champions League T20, presaged the thaw.

“The invitation to Sialkot (Stallions) was the first step, this is a further development (to resumption of ties. I and Mr. Srinivasan have been in talks for the last six months. It’s a good omen for the game. I hope, insah allah, that there will be more good news in the future,” Ashraf said to a private news channel reacting to the development.

The governments of both countries also opined at secretary level talks recently in New Delhi that sporting relations should be strengthened. But while Pakistan was keen to host India at a neutral venue, the BCCI was not open to the idea.

In such a scenario, PCB wanted a share of the revenue from the matches in India but relented to open the gates for the tour.

“BCCI was firm on its stand that no Indo-Pak series will not be held on any neutral venue so it was decided to invite them after December 22 when the England team leaves after playing the Twenty20 Internationals,” senior BCCI official Rajeev Shukla said in New Delhi on Monday.