Islamabad: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has given the green light for the country's cricket team to play a limited-overs series against India in Sri Lanka next month, Pakistan media reported Thursday.
Private television channel Geo News says Sharif told the Pakistan Cricket Board that it could send a team to play against India at a neutral venue.
The cricket boards of Pakistan and India have been in a stalemate for months over a venue for the series. India had refused to play in the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan's home away from home, and Pakistan rejected the prospect of playing the series in India.
Giles Clarke, who heads International Cricket Council's Pakistan Task Force, organized a meeting between PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan and BCCI president Shashank Manohar last week in Dubai, where Sri Lanka was chosen as the possible venue.
The series has not been formally confirmed, but Khan on Wednesday said he had told the government the talks were "fruitful," and the BCCI was seeking it's government's view.
Both cricket boards signed a memorandum of understanding last year to play at least six series from 2015 to 2023, with Pakistan hosting the first one in December.
The UAE has been Pakistan's "home" venue for six years because of the security concerns of foreign teams travelling to Pakistan.
