India and Pakistan unlikely to resume cricketing ties in 2017, says top PCB official

The head of the executive committee of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Najam Sethi has said that resumption of bilateral ties between arch-rivals India and Pakistan is highly unlikely to happen in 2017.

Political tensions between the two countries have affected their cricketing relations. Anurag Thakur, president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had said that there would be no bilateral series until Pakistan "stops sponsoring terrorism".

The BCCI had also decided to request the International Cricket Council (ICC) to not club India and Pakistan in the same group for the 2017 Champions Trophy.

"I don't think it will happen because of the current scenario which will take time to change. But I also don't think India will avoid playing us in the Champions Trophy next year in England. Look if there is no India and Pakistan match in an ICC event, then financially it will hurt everyone including the ICC and I don't see that happening since both countries get shares from the world body," said Sethi as quoted by the Press Trust of India, reports NDTVSports.

Sethi said whenever cricketing ties resume between the two countries, Pakistan will not travel to India to play. If the Ministry of Inter Provincial Coordination asks them to boycott all sporting ties with India, then the PCB will abide by the directive.

"But we will only agree to not playing on Indian soil. But if for example, India agrees to matches with us at a neutral venue of our choice, which we host, then we will play them. They will have to play against us at a venue of our choice as we will be hosting any such series," Sethi added.