'Atmosphere not conducive for Indo-Pak cricket'

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Anurag Thakur said the atmosphere between India and Pakistan is not conducive for cricket right now and stressed on the importance of creating a good environment before resumption of the proposed bilateral series.

"The atmosphere right now is not conducive for cricket to be played between the two countries. Pakistan government should talk to Indian government first. That will be a great help for building the conducive atmosphere," said Thakur on the sidelines of a cricket match between Parliamentarians and Celebrities, in New Delhi, on Sunday.

"And then you don't require so much effort for talks to happen between two cricketing boards," he added.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shaharyar Khan was in India last week to discuss the proposed India-Pak bilateral cricket series in December but Shiv Sena workers stormed the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai on last Monday, and the scheduled meeting between the heads of two cricket boards were called off.

Last Friday, PCB called on its Indian counterpart BCCI seeking a rescheduled meeting to discuss the series in the United Arab Emirates in December.

Meanwhile, Thakur said, "Look the series is well poised. It's going to be a thriller. One who wins this match will automatically win the series also. I also want to thank the Prime Minister who talked about the importance of this series on Mann ki baat."

All the earnings from the match will be given to Prime Minister Relief fund to support Nepal Earthquake victims and Heat Wave victims in India.