India ready to play Pak but on home ground

MUMBAI/DELHI: Until Friday, all stakeholders in cricket involving India and Pakistan were busy figuring out if a series between the two was indeed on. On Saturday, the same stakeholders were trying to figure out if the series would happen in India or UAE - Pakistan's adopted home since the 2009 terror attack on the Lankan team.
The series, nevertheless, is all set to go ahead, as reported earlier this week.Sources said the Indian cricket board (BCCI) already has a verbal assurance from the government but it is waiting for Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to get a clearance from its government first. It will only approach the home ministry formally if the Pakistan government clears the series.
Purely in terms of home and away rotation, this would be Pakistan's series to host, where broadcasters Ten Sports - PCB's partner for over a decade now - have a lot at stake considering Pakistan last hosted India in 2006. Pakistan visited India for a full bilateral tour in 2007 and ever since, they've only played ODIs either in India or at neutral venues in multi-lateral tourneys.
Speaking to TOI from Lahore, PCB chairman Shahryar Khan said: "I'm told BCCI has received permission from their government for the series. I can't say right now where the series will be held. The two cricket boards will have to arrive at a decision on this together."
Khan's lack of clarity on the issue is understandable because if the BCCI allows the series with Pakistan, sources say it is very clear that the two teams will have to play in India. The ball, in the proverbial sense, is back in PCB's court because it will have to get a clearance from its government.
BCCI expects the Indian team to play at home in the month of December and first week of January (December 15 to January 7 is the window) as part of its inaugural home season and might be willing to share the spoils with the neighbouring country. Late on Saturday, there was still considerable uncertainty over what kind of revenue model BCCI was looking at in case it wants to invite Pakistan home for a series that's ideally theirs to host. Khan has pegged the series at close to $50 million, the amount that PCB and its partners could gain if they host India.
"We've been partners with PCB for more than 10 years and we have no doubts whatsoever that the Pakistan board will take a prudent decision," Ten Sports head Rajesh Sethi told TOI, without going into specifics. According to the ICC's provisional Future Tours Program cycle starting 2014, India and Pakistan are scheduled to play 12 Tests, 30 ODIs and 11 Twenty20s spread over six series. The first of these was always going to be a home series for Pakistan, to be played in the UAE and expected to comprise two Tests, five ODIs and two T20s a decision that was taken during N Srinivasan's tenure as ICC chairman. BCCI was expected to host Pakistan twice during this period.
"As I understand, there has been an agreement that the two teams will play each other soon," Srinivasan had told TOI in August last year.
While the debate on who hosts the series continues, there are those who also say that a shortened series ­ of just ODIs and T20s but not Tests ­ won't do justice to the competition as well as the balance sheet. "There won't be any charm to such a series. Even in terms of marketability, it will not be up to its true potential," a source in the know of things said.