PCB chairman Shahryar Khan hopeful of improved Pak-India cricketing ties

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Shahryar Khan, who is preparing for a visit to India scheduled for October 3, is hopeful of improvement in Pakistan-India cricketing ties.

Shahryar, who has taken up the mantle of PCB chief for the second time in his career, is hoping for positive outcomes from his planned meeting with his Indian counterpart N Srinivasan. The two chairmen are expected to discuss the participation of Pakistani players in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Pakistani players took part in the inaugural IPL tournament, with Sohail Tanvir crowned the best bowler as he helped underdogs Rajasthan Royals to the championship. Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal and Shoaib Akhtar were some of the other players who participated in the tournament, The Express Tribune reported.

Shahryar said that there are a lot of things on his agenda, and Pakistani players' participation in the IPL is one of them. He added that Pakistan-India cricketing relations are important and they would get better over a period of time.

However, the PCB chairman realises that change will be slow as he said that it would not change overnight but positive results would emerge with time, and added that he is optimistic and hopeful that their players would be able to participate in the IPL in the future.