India, Pak to play ODI series in UAE
Pakistan and India will square off in a two-match one-day series in the Middle East next month to raise funds for victims of the earthquake in Pakistan and India.
Pakistan and India will square off in a two-match one-day series in the Middle East next month to raise funds for victims of the earthquake that devastated the region last year.
A 7.6 magnitude quake hit Pakistani Kashmir and adjoining North West Frontier Province in October, killing more than 73,000 and leaving an estimated three million homeless.
Shaharyar Khan, chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, and his Indian counterpart Sharad Pawar announced the two boards had decided in principle to begin a programme of cricket activities between the two countries on foreign shores.
"The Abu Dhabi Friendship Cup will be the start of a long-term plan, the details of which will be discussed by the two boards soon," Khan told reporters on Wednesday.
The two ICC-recognised matches will be played in the UAE capital on April 18 and 19. Pakistan last faced India in the Middle East at the Sharjah Cup in March 2000.
India's board decided against participating in subsequent Sharjah tournaments after match-fixing allegations emerged following the team's Champions Trophy victory in October 2000.
Indian board president Pawar did not rule out the possibility of returning to Sharjah, but said no specific proposals had been received by the board.
"We will definitely look into any proposal we get regarding playing in Sharjah, but so far we have not received anything," he said.
Both India and Pakistan boards promised to send full-strength national teams for the Cup, which is expected to become an annual fixture for the two teams.