India to play test in Pakistan after 12 years

India will play their first test in Pakistan for nearly 12 years when they take on their traditional rivals in the Asian test championship in September.

The draw for the four-nation tournament, to run between September 1, 2001, and February 19, 2002, was released after a one-day Asian Cricket Council (ACC) meeting at Lahore on Friday.

Although the venue has yet to be finalised, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials said the game is expected to be in Karachi and confirmed it would be played between September 13 and 17.

"Karachi is most likely to be the venue but we will further discuss it with our Indian counterparts before announcing it," PCB chairman Tauqir Zia told Reuters.

India last appeared in a test on Pakistan soil in 1989 when Kris Srikanth's team played a four-test series against Imran Khan's side. They returned in 1997 for a three-match one-day series to mark the independence of Pakistan.

Since 1989, Pakistan have appeared in two one-day series in India as well as a two-test series in 1999. They also contested the opening match of the inaugural Asian test championship at Calcutta.

India, after their 1989 test tour, have cancelled four visits to Pakistan, the latest earlier this year because of restrictions by the government which has refused to give permission to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for bilateral matches.

"The government has clearly said for a multilateral tournament it has no objection at all," BCCI president A.C Muthiah told Reuters from Lahore.

Sporting relations between India and Pakistan remain strained because of political tension over the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir.

India also skipped April's one-day triangular tournament in Sharjah, a move that angered Pakistan's cricket authorities who had said they would boycott the Indian team in future.

But the PCB said they have been given a commitment by Indian officials that the team will play in the September tournament, which also includes Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

"We have been given a firm commitment by the Indian officials that they will appear in the Asian test championship match," Zia said.

"I think the match will revive cricketing relations between the two Asian powerhouses." he added.

The final is scheduled for Dhaka, which was also used in 1999 when Pakistan won by an innings against Sri Lanka, while earlier matches have been fixed on a home and away basis.

"Since Sri Lanka hosted India in 1999, now it is Sri Lanka's turn to play the qualifying round match in India.

"It's precisely on that formula that India will play in Pakistan," said Zia.

Schedule:
September 1-5 - Pakistan v Bangladesh in Pakistan

September 13-17 - Pakistan v India in Pakistan

September 21-25 - India v Bangladesh in India

October 2-6 - Sri Lanka v Bangladesh in Sri Lanka

Jan 31- February 4 - Sri Lanka v Pakistan in Sri Lanka

February 7-11 - India v Sri Lanka in India

February 15-19 - final in Bangladesh.

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