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Tour might have been called off had we been rigid: PCB

I slamabad FEB. 21 . The Pakistan Cricket Board on Saturday said India's historic tour might have been called off if it had pressed harder for Test matches in Peshawar and Karachi.

Promising to ensure a `trouble free' 40-day tour for the Indian cricket team, the PCB CEO Ramiz Raja said "if we had pressed harder for Tests in Peshawar and Karachi, the tour might have been called off."

"While I am sad that the two centres will not be holding Tests, I am glad that they will be hosting important one-day games," he said. Raja said the one-day series will be played before the Tests because of political reasons. "The BCCI requested us for the change of format because of the expected elections in India in April. They further argued that if the one-day series was played in the second half of the series, the public will lose interest in the matches. We showed flexibility because we understand the importance of this series.

I can further say here that we were in constant touch with the concerned government departments and necessary advice and approvals have been sought from them," he said.

Raja said the itinerary was delayed because of several reasons. "One of the reasons was certainly the visit of the three-men BCCI delegation that was here last week. But I must tell you that we sent two proposed itineraries according to which the tour was to start from March 5. — PTI

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