Indian tour of Pakistan 2008/09 Cricket Series

India in Pakistan 2008-09 Cricket Series

India calls off Pakistan tour

India have called off next month’s cricket tour of Pakistan, the government refusing permission amid simmering tension between the two neighbours.
“We have received a letter from the government that the tour is not feasible under the prevailing circumstances,” Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chief administrative officer Ratnakar Shetty said on Thursday. A senior Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official said an official invitation had already been sent to Sri Lanka to play three tests, three one-dayers and a Twenty20 match to replace the cancelled tour.
“It is disappointing for us but we were expecting this,” PCB chief operating officer Salim Altaf told reporters in Lahore. An International Cricket Council (ICC) spokesman said it was too early to say whether India’s decision could hurt the World Cup.
“It is far too ahead to speculate on that,” he said. “We are putting all plans in place and look forward to a very successful event.” Any hopes of the Jan 13-Feb 19 tour going ahead seemed to disappear when federal sports minister Manohar Singh Gill opposed the trip earlier this month. “The situation is tense...better to allow some time for tempers to cool down a bit and take another look at it in a few months.”
International Cricket Council chief executive Haroon Lorgat said last week: “If the government determines that you can’t go and tour, we’ve got to respect that. That’s the government’s decision and there is nothing that the ICC can do against that.”

India's tour of Pakistan likely to be called off

After the chilling terror attacks on Mumbai's landmark hotels that stretched for 3 days from the 26th of November 2008, the BCCI is being forced to consider the cancellation of India's upcoming cricket tour or Pakistan.
While Mumbai, India and the indeed the world are reeling from the barbaric terror acts that lead to over 200 deaths, India's tour of Pakistan is likely to be the next casualty.
India was slated to play on Pakistan soil in the coming weeks. BCCI chief and senior officials maintain that the BCCI has no objection to the tour going ahead per se but cannot allow the safety of the cricketers lives to be jeopardized in any way. In the current scenario, even the possibility of the tour being played on a neutral third party country is likey to be ruled out.
However, a formal decision is yet to be made and is likely to be announced in the next few days.

Rawalpindi to host India Test

Rawalpindi will host its first cricket Test in more than four years when India tours Pakistan in January.
India will play Pakistan in the second Test and third limited-overs match of the series at Rawalpindi, according to the Pakistan Cricket Board's tour itinerary released Tuesday. India played Pakistan the last time Rawalpindi hosted a Test match in April 2004.
Former Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated at Rawalpindi in December, and the city has been the scene of several violent incidents in past years. The city is also located near the federal capital Islamabad where at least 53 people died after a powerful blast at the Marriott Hotel on Saturday. "As of now Rawalpindi is the venue," PCB spokesman Mansoor Suhail said, adding that the schedule was finalized before the Marriott blast.
The Indian team arrives in Pakistan on Jan. 4 and is scheduled to play a three-day warm-up match at Hyderabad before the first Test at Karachi. Lahore will host the third and final Test starting Jan. 29. The Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium was extensively renovated for the Champions Trophy before being excluded as one of the limited-overs tournament's three venues. The Champions Trophy was eventually postponed for a year due to security concerns held by the participating teams.