Atmosphere not conducive for India, Pakistan to play cricket, says Anurag Thakur

New Delhi: BCCI Secretary Anurag Thakur on Sunday 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. [caption id=“attachment_2481864” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Anurag Thakur in a file photo. BCCI[/caption] “And then you don’t require so much effort for talks to happen between two cricketing boards,” he added. 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 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, wishing the Indian team all the best for the final match played between India and South Africa at Wankhede, 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. I wish the Indian team all the best.” Thakur who also scored an unbeaten century in the match played between Parliament and Celebrities thanked the organizers for giving him an opportunity to play. 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. PTI