India-Pakistan series in Sri Lanka receives Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif’s consent

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has given his consent to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for the India-Pakistan series that is proposed to be played in Sri Lanka. The PM House wrote a letter to the board granting them permission for the high profile series and directing them to carefully view the security situation as well.

“Given the current security situation, PCB should hold short series with India at a third location,” a PM House statement said quoting the PM.

PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan had written to the premier earlier, seeking permission to play the series in a neutral venue like Sri Lanka. He had said that the final decision will be taken after the government’s advice.

“Now the matter is political because the advice from the PM is that the final decision will be made by the government only. We have put that before the BCCI. We always wanted this series to happen right from the start, If India is not accepting what they have signed in the MOU then if doesn’t happen then so be it,” the PCB chairman had said.

He had also stated, “We have said that we won’t play in India and have also given out reasons. Now the matter has become political. Prime Minister (Nawaz Sharif) has said that he wants to take the final call on the series. PCB won’t decide on the series anymore. We have put PCB’S stand before the PM and the BCCI.”

On Tuesday, Sri Lanka offered itself as a neutral venue. The island nation emerged as a likely solution after crisis talks at the weekend between the two rivals in Dubai failed to end the stalemate. With the BCCI also in talks with the government of India, the possibility of a short series has considerably brightened.

Another development on the series that came in was from the Indian side where IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla said that the series will be played from the 15th of December in Sri Lanka. Shukla was quoted by the ANI saying, “India-Pakistan series will happen tentatively from December 15 in Sri Lanka,”