India May Host Pakistan at Home, Says BCCI Secretary Anurag Thakur

If everything goes to plan, India and Pakistan could resume their bilateral cricketing relations by the end of this year. A full-fledged tour could in fact even be hosted by India or a third country, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Anurag Thakur said on Monday.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had said on Sunday it expected bilateral series with India to resume in the United Arab Emirates in December but there had been no confirmation from BCCI.

BCCI has said it is committed to explore the possibility of resumption of India versus Pakistan cricket. After a meeting between Jagmohan Dalmiya of BCCI and Shahryar Khan of Pakistan Cricket Board, Thakur had explained that "appropriate steps" would be taken to consider the possibility of the two rivals facing off against each other. (BJP Member of Parliament Opposes India vs Pakistan Cricket Series)

On Monday, Thakur revealed that both the Boards had held preliminary discussions on the series. "The series may not be in Pakistan. It could be held either in India or a third country. BCCI and PCB are talking to each other. The series between India and Pakistan could be played at the end of the year in December," Thakur told NDTV. (Pakistan to Tour Sri Lanka in June)

India cancelled bilateral cricket series with their neighbours after Pakistani militants killed 166 people in Mumbai in 2008. However, Pakistan toured India in 2012-13 for a short limited-overs series.

(With inputs from Rahul Shrivastava)