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Australia's tour to Pakistan, 2007-08
Pakistan mull ODIs with India if Australia pull out
Cricinfo staff
February 15, 2008
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The Indian team may well be playing an ODI series in Pakistan in case Australia don't tour in March-April
© AFP
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Pakistan are considering inviting India for a quickfire series of ODIs if, as
is becoming increasingly likely, Australia pull out of their scheduled tour in
March-April.
Doubts about whether Australia will come for their first tour in nearly a decade
have increased day-by-day over the last week, the latest coming from Ricky Ponting,
the Australian captain.
The Pakistan board has all along insisted its priority is to get Australia to come
to visit, but has privately admitted they are working on alternative options, which
include inviting another country over.
And a well-placed source revealed to Cricinfo that informal talks had been held with
the BCCI about a series of ODIs in Pakistan in case Australia don't come.
"There have been informal discussions with the BCCI but nothing has been firmed up.
Things will become clearer in a day or so," the source said. "The first priority is still to get
Australia to come over but if they don't come, options have to be and are being
examined."
Two PCB officials, including the chief operating officer Shafqat Naghmi are
currently touring India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh for bilateral board talks
regarding scheduling ahead of an ICC meeting to devise the Future Tours Programme
(FTP) till 2013. The ostensible purpose of the mission is to fill the gaps in
Pakistan's schedule in the current FTP.
The current Pakistan administration is said to be unhappy over their predecessor's
work on the last FTP, which has left Pakistan with a number of gaps in their
cricketing calendar. "Pakistan played half the number of Tests that Australia did
according to that FTP and that is something that needs to be rectified," the source said. But as a result of Australia's hesitancy, the trip has become an opportunity
for Pakistan to try and arrange an alternative contest with countries who are free
in March-April.
Both boards, however, are officially denying the development. India, as ever, is
hemmed in by a hectic schedule. Between their return from Australia and the first
Test against South Africa, an ODI series, even just across the border, seems
unlikely. "It's not possible," a senior BCCI official told Cricinfo. "The Indian team
returns from Australia on March 8 and the first Test against South Africa starts in
Chennai on March 26. Where is the time?"
Ahsan Malik, the PCB spokesman, explained the board's focus was on getting
Australia over. "This is an official trip with regards to the FTP till 2013. They
wanted to meet boards and have a pre-scheduling round of meetings with them. Our
full concentration is on playing Australia."
© Cricinfo
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