Impossible to arrange series in short time: BCCI secretary on Indo-Pak series

Virtually ruling out the chances of playing Pakistan in the proposed bilateral series, Indian cricket board secretary Anurag Thakur said that it will be "impossible for PCB" to arrange a series in such a short time.

PCB chief Shaharyar Khan had two days back said he was still awaiting the Board of Control for Cricket in India's written reply on the proposed series later this month, besides hoping that the Indian government gives a green light to the resumption of cricketing ties in a "day or two".

"It is not possible to arrange a series in such a short time. Even if we get a go ahead (from government) next week it will be virtually impossible to arrange a series in such a short time. At the same time it will have to be arranged by PCB," Thakur told reporters on Saturday.

While Pakistan Cricket Board has been playing the waiting game by extending deadlines after deadlines for the BCCI, the Indian cricket board has maintained all along that the decision to play its arch rival rests with its government.

The PCB had put forward tentative dates for the series comprising three ODIs and two T20 Internationals in Sri Lanka: December 15-January 4 or December 19-January 4.

Given that the third week of December is coming to a close, clearly there is very little time to organise the series and both Pakistan and India tour New Zealand and Australia, respectively, in January.

Image: BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur, India ODI captain and selector Vinod Rathod at the Selection Comittee Meeting in New Delhi on Saturday

Photograph: BCCI/Twitter