Cricket team from Indian Punjab to tour Pakistan

A foreign cricket team will tour Pakistan after more than two years when an Indian provincial team play two one-dayers and two Twenty20 matches, local media reported on Sunday.

Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board Ijaz Butt told the Daily Dawn newspaper that a team from the Indian Punjab Cricket Association will play against the Pakistan province of Punjab in June.

"Governments of both the countries had given the green light for this series and hopefully it will pave the way to restore cricketing ties between the two countries," Butt told the newspaper.

International cricket has been suspended in Pakistan since March 2009 when gunmen attacked the Sri Lankan team bus which killed six police officials and a van driver.

Several Sri Lankan players were also injured during the attack.

India has not played international cricket in Pakistan after political ties between the two countries became tense when terrorists attacked in Mumbai in Nov. 2008.

The PCB has organized its 'home' series against South Africa, New Zealand and Australia in the United Arab Emirates and England after foreign teams refused to tour Pakistan due to security concerns.

Butt told the newspaper that the matches against IPCA will be organized at Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan and Rawalpindi — the four major cities of Pakistan's Punjab province.

In return PCB will also send a Punjab team across the border to play a similar number of matches in September.