 "Shukla calls on government to take speedy decision on Indo-Pak series")
Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Rajeev Shukla on Wednesday admitted that the Indian government had wasted a lot of time in taking a concrete decision about the stalled bilateral series against Pakistan, which is slated to be held this month.
Shukla said that he was not sure of the Pakistan Cricket Board's decision on the series.
"It has been around 15-20 days since the BCCI have sent a letter to the External Affair Ministry. I think the government should reply saying yes or no. Now, there is no time left. Indian cricketers will not be available after December 30 as they are touring Australia from January 5. So, I don't think Pakistan will be in a position to host a series in Sri Lanka. I don't even know what will be Pakistan's response to the series, if they get a reply from the Indian government. Although there is a delay, the government should at least give a reply," BCCI senior official Shukla told media.
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has already given his consent to go ahead with the series in a neutrally decided venue, Sri Lanka.
Meanwhile, PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) chief Shaharyar Khan said that they had decided to give up on the series after failing to receive a necessary reply from the BCCI.
According to a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the PCB and BCCI, both countries are scheduled to play six series between 2015 and 2023 after a clearance from the Indian Government.
India has not played a full bilateral Test series with Pakistan after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.