India-Pakistan Test series likely to be played in England next year .

Indo-Pak-fans-in-UK

Karachi: The much anticipated India-Pakistan cricket series could be played out in two parts with Sri Lanka hosting the one dayers next month and England being the venue for Test matches next year. Speculation is rife that the arrangement has been agreed upon during a recent meeting between BCCI President Shashank Manohar and PCB Chairman Shaharyar Khan in Dubai but a formal announcement is yet to come through.

According to sources in the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination ,PCB Chairman Shaharyar Khan has sought permission of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the foreign ministry to play a series with India in Sri Lanka next month . He said Shaharyar had also indicated that India was willing to also play few tests against Pakistan next year. Pakistan is supposed to tour India in 2017 for a full series before India  play their arch rivals in two phases. Indications are that the Tests will be held in England in summer. Pakistan is due to tour England for a full series from July onwards . In 2010 Pakistan played two Tests against Australia at the Lord’s and Headingly with considerable success due to the large South Asian population in the United Kingdom.

Another source in the PCB said that ECB chairman Giles Clarke, who acted as a mediator when Manohar and Khan met in Dubai at the weekend, had pitched the idea of having the Tests in England. The source also said Manohar had outlined the reasons for India being unwilling to play the December series in UAE and had also made it clear to the PCB chief to stop giving unnecessary statements in the media on Indo-Pak cricket.