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Internet Desk: Union Sports Minister Vijay Goel eliminated any chance for a bilateral cricket series between India and Pakistan even though officials from both cricketing boards were set to meet in Dubai later today to discuss on this matter.
Goel made it certain that India won’t play the bilateral series as long as the neighbouring country continues to sponsor cross-border terrorism. However the two neighbours will face each other in International tournaments are scheduled to meet in the ICC Champions Trophy group match on June 4th at Edgbaston.
“The BCCI should come up with a suggestion or proposal in this regard only after consulting the government. I had said earlier also that the possibilities of bilateral series with Pakistan are very remote,” Goel told reporters on Monday.
“As long as Pakistan continues to sponsor terrorists, it will not be possible to have sporting ties between the two countries. Terrorism and sports will not run side by side,” he added. “As far as multi-lateral events are concerned, we have no control over those. So the two countries will continue to play each other in such tournaments,” Goel said.
The two teams last participated in a bilateral series last in 2012 when India was the hosts to three ODIs and two T20 matches.
The two boards of the respective countries had signed a MOU to play six bilateral series over a span of years and the first series was to be played back in 2015.
The Indian team can play a bilateral series in Pakistan later this year as per reports from the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Future Tours Programme.