**Pakistan will play India on own terms **
KARACHI, May 28: Pakistan will play against India on its own terms and conditions if and when cricketing ties between the Asian giants resume.
“We have decided in principle to toughen our stance as far as resuming cricket relations with India is concerned,” Pakistan Cricket Board’s chief executive Ramiz Raja said on Wednesday while talking to reporters.
"Pakistan have toured India twice and it is their turn to visit us. “We are not in a position to make any compromise with India since our priority is that India should play here first,” he said. “We are working on guidelines provided by our foreign office regarding revival of cricketing ties with India.”
When asked will the PCB be able to plan an itinerary for a proposed short Indian visit this year if it gets a green signal from the government, Ramiz replied that it entirely depends on the prevailing situation.
Pakistan have a busy schedule beginning with the England tour for three one-dayers in June, followed by a full-scale tour by Bangladesh in Aug and September. In between Pakistan have confirmed their participation in the Morocco Cup in Aug while the South Africans are expected here in Sept/Oct this year.
New Zealand will host Pakistan in December after the Sharjah Cup where Pakistan is one of the participating teams. PCB had already proposed a five-match one-day series to New Zealand in November to make up for the losses incurred by the cricket board after the Kiwis’ tour of Pakistan was abruptly halted by a bomb explosion outside the teams’ hotel in Karachi that killed 14 people including 11 foreigners.
The Indian cricket board in recent weeks has expressed it willingness to play two One-day Internationals on home-and-away basis against Pakistan after both Islamabad and Delhi agreed to soften their stance on political relations.
“We know the Indian board has sought permission for the one-day games and our foreign office has told us to expedite the revival of ties with India,” Ramiz said.
India, in turn, are slated to make their first Test tour of Pakistan since 1989 in Feb/March next year. Meanwhile, PCB has no plans to abandon departmental teams since Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali is keen on departmental sports teams reactivating and players should be provided jobs.
“I don’t see elimination of departmental cricket teams,” Ramiz asserted on mention of domestic cricket. Ramiz confirmed that PCB will officially announce the format on which the system will function from next season in a month’s time.
“Our main emphasis is patronising regional cricket. After going through reports provided by curators across the country, we have decided to play domestic first-class cricket in the period of Feb/March because the weather will be ideal while the pitches will be at their best,” he said. “The PCB is introducing a system which aims at raising the quality of domestic cricket to prepare better players.”
The PCB official disclosed that the board is contemplating on offering central contracts to top 30-35 players. “Actually we are working on such a deal. But it is too early to say how it’s going to be implemented or what amount the players will get.”