Pakistan's whistle stop two-week, five-match tour of India
that starts on Christmas Day in Bangalore could be kicked off with the
3000 Pakistani ticket-holders for the series being issued Indian visas
in less than ten days.
The Pakistan tour of India, featuring two T20 Internationals in
Bangalore and Ahmedabad, and three ODIs in Chennai, Kolkata and Delhi,
has been pushed through via the highest levels of the government and
cricket administration on both sides of the border. The PCB will be
issued the 3000 tickets and will soon finalise and announce the
mechanism to be put in place for the sale of the tickets. Of the total
3000 tickets, there will be 1000 for the match in Delhi and 500 for each
of the other four cities. Pakistan citizens holding tickets to all five
matches will be issued five-city visas, an unusual diplomatic practice
in itself. An announcement on a quicker visa-issuing process for the
cricket is expected in a few days' time.
A four-man PCB recce team concluded its visit of India on Thursday,
after travelling to each of the venues where the matches will be held.
Ehsan Sadiq, the PCB's director of security and vigilance is the head of
the delegation which includes Usman Wahla, manager international
cricket, Sohail Khan, senior police officer of the Punjab Police and
Nadeem Sarwar, general manager, media. Sarwar said that the issue of
security will largely be left in the hands of the hosts. "What we expect
is fool-proof security for our players, and we expect that the
capability that these cities have will provide that."
The PCB recce team's chief concerns were more related to practice
facilities and net bowlers, and ensuring that team hotels clear out
mini-bars. There was, Sarwar said, no strict 'ban' on players
socialising or attending private parties. "We would discourage
individuals from socialising because it's going to be a very busy tour -
five matches in 14 days. It's not like there's a ban or a restrictive
list [of activities] on the tour, because there is very little time for
socialising."
He said the future of Indo-Pak cricketing relations depended on India:
"The ball will now be in their court." As for international cricket in
Pakistan, Sarwar said that the PCB was confident that teams would start
visiting Pakistan "very soon". "It is, at the moment, just a question of
perception. We are in negotiations with several boards. Teams will
start coming to Pakistan, hopefully soon."
On this tour, the Pakistan team, Sarwar said, wanted to redress their
recent poor record against India: India had won the previous four games
between the teams - two Asia Cup ODIs, the 2011 World Cup semi-final and
a World T20 group match in September.
The PCB team met with BCCI president N Srinivasan in Chennai and were in
Kolkata two days before the Test match between India and England.
Jagmohan Dalmiya, the former BCCI president and president of the Cricket
Association of Bengal, told the PCB team that he appreciated the role
played by PCB chief Zaka Ashraf's in pushing the series through.
The May and June meetings between Ashraf and Srinivasan led to the
announcement of a schedule for the series, which is sandwiched between
England's Test and ODI tour of India. In September, Ashraf met with
the-then Indian foreign minister, SM Krishna, in Islamabad and two
months later, the Indian high commissioner to Pakistan travelled to
Lahore for discussions on visa issues with PCB officials.
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