SL offer to host India-Pakistan

Sri Lanka has offered itself as a neutral venue for a proposed series between arch-rivals India and Pakistan later this year.

The island nation emerged as a possible solution after crisis talks at the weekend between the two rivals in Dubai were seemingly unable to end the stalemate.

"We have made the offer," a Sri Lankan Cricket board official told AFP, adding the teams had been given the option of playing in the cities of Colombo and Kandy or Colombo only.

"We are awaiting a response from the PCB," the official said, referring to the Pakistan Cricket Board.

According to the ICC's Future Tours Program, Pakistan are scheduled to host India for two Tests, five one-dayers and two Twenty20 internationals in December and January.

But Sri Lankan officials said with time running out, the series would need to be shortened to just limited-over matches if both teams agreed to play on the island.

A Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) spokesman declined to comment.

Pakistan have played their home series in the United Arab Emirates since 2009 due to security fears at home, but India have refused to play there for reasons yet to be officially specified.

India and Pakistan have not played a full series against each other since 2007, although they did play a limited-overs series in India three seasons ago.

They have played each other in one-off matches on foreign soil three times since that 2012-13 series; in the 2013 Champions Trophy, the 2014 World T20 and the 2015 Cricket World Cup.

Under a 2014 memorandum of understanding, both countries' cricket boards had agreed to play six series from 2015-23, with four to be hosted by Pakistan. But all series were subject to clearance from their respective governments.

India are scheduled to travel to Australia early next year for a series of limited overs matches from January 12 to 31.