ICC World T20: Manohar dials PCB chief, assures full security to Pakistan

Karachi: With a cloud of uncertainty hovering over the much-awaited Indo-Pak World T20 match in Dharamsala, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Shaharyar Khan on Tuesday received a call from BCCI president Shashank Manohar, who assured him the best possible security for its players during the ICC event.

According to an official in the PCB, Manohar called up his counterpart Shaharyar as the latter expressed concerns after the Himachal Pradesh government expressed its inability to provide security for the match.

The match is scheduled to be held on March 19 in Dharamsala, a hill town in Himachal Pradesh.

Manohar discussed everything in detail and assured him the BCCI was following all developments. He told Shaharyar that the BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur, who is tournament director, belonged to Dharamsala and he was handling the issue," the official said.

Another reliable source said that Manohar had assured the PCB chief that best security would be given to the Pakistani team and also the media personnel visiting India for the World event.

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The call came at a time when the PCB is anxious reading about reports in the Indian media that the state government and other politicians don't want to see Pakistan play India in their World T20 match at Dharamsala," the source added.

The source said Manohar had discussed other alternate venues in case the Pakistan and India match had to be relocated from Dharamsala on the insistence of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

The fate of the match appeared uncertain after Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh wrote to the Home Ministry stating that the state government cannot provide security.

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The source said that Manohar had assured Shaharyar that the World T20 would be organised smoothly and there would be no security issues for the Pakistan team at any venue.

Pakistan's other matches are scheduled in Kolkata and Mohali. The Pakistan government gave clearance to the PCB to send the team for the World T20 only last week.