Waqar Younis requests BCCI and PCB to resume cricketing ties as boards set to meet in December

Pakistan bowling legend Waqar Younis has come out in support of resuming bilateral ties with arch rival India, and has requested the neighbouring country to play cricket for fans around the world.

The former captain and coach of Pakistan, who is now a full-time television commentator, appealed to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and urged both countries not to mix politics with sports.

"India and Pakistan, let's play cricket. Request, please think of the fans," Waqar said in a tweet.

The plea from Younis comes as cricket officials from India and Pakistan will reportedly meet on December 17 in Sri Lanka to discuss and put an end to the strained relations between the arch-rivals and talk about resuming cricketing ties.

According to a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official, the meeting would take place during the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) meet in Colombo, with chief Shaharyar Khan expected to chair the meeting along with Pakistani journalist Najam Sethi and PCB's Subhan Ahmed. Sethi had met BCCI president Anurag Thakur during the International Cricket Council (ICC) executive board meeting where he proposed a triangular or quadrangular series.

Thakur for his part maintained that India will not tour Pakistan as their government would not allow it, but is not averse to the fact of playing in a multi-nation tournament either in India or at a neutral venue.

Bilateral cricketing ties between the two countries faced a roadblock recently when the Indian cricket board chief confirmed that they will not play Pakistan until they stopped sponsoring terrorism in the wake of the Uri attacks.

Despite signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2014, which stipulated the duo would play a total of six bilateral series between 2015 and 2023, the two countries are yet to face off.