Our C.T. chances depend on India coming here next year: PCB

Karachi, Nov 13 (PTI) Pakistan's chances of hosting the
Champions Trophy (C.T.) next year would depend a lot on
whether India tours the country early next year for a Test and
One Day International (O.D.I.) series, a top Pakistan Cricket
Board (P.C.B.) official said Thursday.

Saleem Altaf, the chief operating officer of the board,
said the International Cricket Council (I.C.C.) would be
closely monitoring the progress of the Indian team's tour and
implementation of the security plan during the tour before it
meets to decide if the Champions Trophy should remain in
Pakistan.

"The I.C.C. has kept the Indian tour to Pakistan as a
benchmark for deciding on the relocation of the Champions
Trophy because of the security situation in the country,"
Altaf said.

The I.C.C. has already postponed the Champions Trophy
this year because of security concerns by some teams about
playing in Pakistan.

Although the I.C.C. has rescheduled the tournament to
September and October in 2009 in Pakistan its executive board
will take a final decision on the venue in March or June next
year on the final venue.

Altaf said for the time being, there appeared to be no
threat to the Indian team's scheduled Test tour to Pakistan
but conceded it would only be final next month when the Indian
government clears the tour.

Some doubts have crept in over whether India would tour
Pakistan next year following the last minute cancellation of
the Indian junior hockey team's tour to Pakistan this week.

"So far we are confident and our policy remains to first
try to keep on convincing teams to play as scheduled in
Pakistan which we will also ask the Indians to do and hope
they will do so," he said.

But the P.C.B. official said if for some reason the
Indians didn't get clearance to play in Pakistan, the P.C.B.
policy was to keep its other options open like playing at
neutral venues.

"We do not disregard the option of shifting the series to
Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah or some other country. England is
also willing to play hosts for the Test and one-dayers so we
have options. The bottom line is that we need finances for
the sport to survive and thrive in Pakistan and we can only
earn money if we keep on playing international matches," Altaf
said.

Meanwhile Rajeev Shukla, chairman of the finance
committee of the Indian Cricket Board told a Pakistani news
channel that so far the Indian board was comfortable with the
tour.

"At the moment, as far as the Board for Control of
Cricket in India (B.C.C.I.) is concerned the tour to Pakistan
is on. We want to tour Pakistan but as per policy we have to
get clearance from our internal and external ministries. We
have already sent them a request and we expect them to respond
in mid December after assessing the security situation in
Pakistan," Shukla said. PTI Cor
AM