Pakistan cancels quadrangular cricket meet

Pakistan has cancelled a scheduled quadrangular one-day tournament in protest against India's indifference, reports SADA news agency.

"The tournament was to be co-hosted by Pakistan and India, but we announce with regrets that the event is off after India's non-cooperation," Pakistan Cricket Board Director Brigadier Munawwar Rana said.

Zimbabwe and West Indies were to have been the other competing teams, and the program was agreed upon by Pakistan and India in May this year.

"We have been left with no choice other than to announce that the event stands cancelled after India released a schedule of Tests and one-day series against Zimbabwe on the same dates," he said. "This means India doesn't want to co-host the event with us as agreed."

Rana said the PCB would not write to its Indian counterpart about the cancellation. "When the Indian board does not have the courtesy to tell us about their participation or vice versa, we will not write to them either."

Both Pakistan and India were scheduled to hold five matches each with the final slated for Pakistan in March-April.

"The West Indies will be in Pakistan, and Zimbabwe will be touring India so we had thought out a program to stage a quadrangular event," he said.

India last month refused to cross the border to play the Asian Championship Test in Pakistan, protesting against Islamabad's involvement in Jammu and Kashmir.

Rana said the decision was taken at a high-level meeting in Lahore. "Pakistan has been very positive on this right from the word go, but negative signals from India have forced us to cancel any event involving India," he said.

India also refused to play Pakistan at Sharjah, saying they don't want to play events on neutral grounds as they lead to match fixing.

Rana refused to comment on Pakistan's expected clash with India in the tri-series event planned in Bangladesh. "We cannot comment on that right now because it is three months from now."

Rana said Pakistan will play three Tests and as many one-day games against West Indies in February-March.

"The West Indies itinerary was withheld only because of India's final reply and now they have indirectly conveyed to us we will finalize the itinerary soon," he said.

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