According to a report from the Times of India, Srilanka is likely to host the most debated India vs Pakistan series in December. The newspaper reported that the two boards have agreed over Srilanka as a neutral venue and an official announcement in this regard is likely to be out on November 27.
The revival of the Indo-Pak series was in doubt for a longtime, as the BCCI and PCB battled over the venue of the series. Pakistan wants the series to be held in UAE, while the BCCI refused to play in UAE. With this, the only option available for the two nations is Srilanka, as a neutral venue.
The decision was taken after an official discussion between the BCCI president Shashank Manohar and the PCB chief Shahryar Khan, in the presence of Giles Clarke, the ECB supremo. Speaking to the media, the PCB chief said that the meeting was fruitful this time and declined to go into the details of the meeting.
Sources said that the PCB Chief Shahryar Khan had to obtain the permission of the Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif before making any official announcement over the series to be held in December.
However, the series will be reduced to three ODIs and two T20s instead of the planned two tests, five ODIs and two T20s due to the short time frame available for the series in December. India will complete the ongoing series against South Africa on December 7th.
The TOI reportedly said that the Srilankan board has responded positively on the request of the Pakistan Cricket Board to host the Indo-Pak series.
The Srilanka Cricket Board offered two stadiums (R Premadasa and Kandy) as reserve for the India vs Pakistan series.