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Pakistan receive government clearance for ICC World T20

by Manuj Sharma Friday 26 February 2016

The PCB chairman Shahryar Khan confirmed that the board has received the necessary clearance from the government.

©REUTERS / Action Images

The Pakistan government has given consent to its national cricket team to tour India in order to participate in the upcoming ICC World Twenty20 tournament.

Earlier this month, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had revealed their participation in the ICC World T20 was in doubt awaiting the government to give clearance to travel to India.

The PCB chairman Shahryar Khan confirmed that the board has received the necessary clearance from the government and further requested the ICC for special security arrangements in India.

"I am pleased that our government has given its consent," said Khan.

"As a duty of care, we have asked the ICC to put in place special arrangements for the Pakistan cricket team while in India.

“We will also be expecting visa facilitation and other arrangements for the Pakistani fans wishing to visit India for the ICC World T20 2016.”

India and Pakistan were supposed to play a bilateral series in December 2015 but the proposed series failed to get underway after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) failed to obtain clearance from their government.

The head of the PCB executive committee, Najam Sethi stressed that Pakistan will not play any bilateral series in India until BCCI fulfil their obligation of playing an away series.

“We are ready to resume bilateral cricket ties with them but either in Pakistan or any other venue, not in India.

“We want a full “home” series so that we recoup our financial losses which we have faced over the years due to India not playing us.”

In 2015, the Pakistan government had given PCB clearance for the proposed bilateral series and Sethi feels that the two countries can improve their relations by re-establishing cricketing ties

“We want regular cricket ties with India because we believe this will only help improve overall bilateral relations between the two countries.

“Our government has also constantly shown this same spirit as is evident.

“But India owes us two “home” series and we want them to first fulfil this obligation to us.”

Pakistan and India will face each other on 4th March in the 2016 Asia Cup in Mirpur, while they will clash once again on 19th March in the ICC World T20 in Dharamsala.