Doubts loom over Pakistan`s tour of West Indies

Islamabad: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has accused the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) of reneging on an agreement to facilitate a tour of the Caribbean this year.

Pakistan were originally scheduled to play two Tests, five ODIs and two Twenty20s in the Caribbean in June and July. However, reports suggest that the tour is unlikely to go ahead after both boards failed to find a new window. "It`s a very tricky situation here as our first priority is to play according to the FTP," Zaka Ashraf, the PCB chairman was quoted as saying by CMC. "They actually planned their tri-nation series within our window and left us with a choice to reschedule the series. However, after a lengthy deliberation we failed to find a window to go ahead with it." According to the FTP (Future Tours Programme), the West Indies were scheduled to host Pakistan from the last week in June to the last week in July, but a tri-series involving India, Sri Lanka and the West Indies has since been planned. To avoid a clash, the WICB is reported to have asked the PCB to reschedule its tour to August but this change would have interfered with Pakistan`s own plan to host India and to play out the Zimbabwe series that was postponed last year. Also, the inaugural Caribbean Premier League (CPL) is scheduled to take place from July 29 to Aug 26. "Earlier, there were plans to split the tour but it`s not working as we want to play a full series," the PCB chairman said. "The West Indies is an important cricket team and we have always had cordial relations with them, and hopefully we will find another window next year." Pakistan last visited the West Indies in 2011, drawing the Test series 1-1, winning the ODI series 3-2 and losing the only T20I. IANS