Chennai, May 13 (DHNS): A new phase of thaw in Indo-Pak ties that had begun since Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari’s travel to India last month appears to have made a positive bearing on the bilateral cricketing front, which is in a frozen state for almost four years.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday announced its decision to make way for Pakistan’s representation in the fourth edition of the Champions League T20 (CLT20) to be staged in India in October.
“The working committee (of the BCCI) has decided to invite a team from Pakistan to play in the Champions League Twenty20 to be held in October,” BCCI President N Srinivasan told reporters following a meeting here during the day.

The BCCI decision to allow Pakistan’s participation will mean that the country’s domestic T20 cricket champions, the Sialkot Stallions, led by former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik, will have a chance to take part in the scheduled tournament. The terrorist attacks in Mumbai on November 26, 2008, had forced the abandonment of the inaugural tournament in India due to security concerns. And, as a result of the Pakistani involvement in the terror attacks, the BCCI opposed Pakistan’s entry into the tournament.

The BCCI decision will now have to get the nod of the Governing Council of the CLT20, which apart from the BCCI also include cricket boards of countries like Australia and South Africa. But the approval may be a mere formality since it was Indian opposition that had kept Pakistan out of the annual event.

“This is a recommendation that the BCCI will make to the Governing Council. CLT20 is owned by the BCCI, Cricket Australia and Cricket South Africa. So we will recommend to the GC that the BCCI has no objection and is prepared to invite a Pakistan team in the Champions League,” Srinivasan said.

The resumption of cricketing ties between the two neighbours was one of the issues that Zardari is believed to have discussed with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during their unofficial luncheon meeting in Delhi last month.  While the last time an Indian team travelled to Pakistan was six years ago, Pakistani team was last in India in 2011 to play against India in the World Cup. But that was an exception.
 
Pakistan has been pushing for restarting the bilateral cricketing ties. Ahead of Zardari’s visit to India, Pakistan Cricket Board chief Zaka Ashraf met Srinivasan in Dubai to impress upon him to revive bilateral cricket.

The BCCI decision to allow Pakistan to take part in CLT20 may be its first tentative step towards resumption of full-fledged bilateral cricketing re-engagements between the two countries. This may in turn open up possibilities of the participation of Pakistani players in the Indian Premier League, about which Pakistan Cricket Board is very keen.

However, Srinivasan said: “Today, the decision is limited to the Champions League. So, I don’t want to say anything beyond it.”