ISLAMABAD — India wants to host a series next month against rival Pakistan, instead of playing in the scheduled neutral venue of United Arab Emirates, Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Shaharyar Khan said Saturday.
Shashank Manohar, president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, telephoned Khan Friday and invited Pakistan to play in cities like Mohali and Kolkata, Khan told reporters in Lahore.
"Manohar also told me that BCCI has got clearance from its government to play against Pakistan, but he said they wanted to play the series in India, and not in the UAE," Khan said.
Last year both countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding according to which Pakistan and India will play at least six series over the next eight years. Pakistan was supposed to host four of those series, starting with the first one in UAE in December.
India's proposal is unlikely to be popular in Pakistan.
"I clearly told Manohar, 'Why should we play our home series in India when we have already signed an agreement?'" Khan said. "There's also security concern for our team (in India) and moreover we will suffer a big loss of around $50 million in case we do not host India in UAE."
The BCCI raised the possibility of financial compensation to the PCB if Pakistan agreed to play in India, Khan said.
However, Khan said the proposal might not be accepted by both his government and PCB members.
"There's so much anti-Pakistan sentiments there (in India)," Khan said. Members of the radical Hindu nationalist party Shiv Sena, opposed to relationships with Pakistan, stormed the BCCI office in Mumbai last month, forcing the cancellation of a meeting between Manohar and Khan.
Khan also said Pakistan had already twice toured India over the last eight years and that it was Pakistan's turn to host its neighbor.
The PCB governing board is scheduled to meet Tuesday to hear the BCCI proposal.
One key PCB member, Najam Sethi, has already said he would oppose the idea of sending a Pakistan team to India instead of playing in the UAE.
"In my personal opinion we should not go to India as it is our home series and the BCCI should honor the MoU," Sethi said Friday.
"They have signed with us, which clearly states Pakistan will host this series," said Sethi, who was PCB chairman when the MoU was signed last year. — AP
