KARACHI: Pakistan cricket chiefs on Wednesday dismissed reports they had sought a share of revenues from their planned tour of India later this year — the arch-rivals’ first series in five years.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) spokesman Nadeem Sarwar told AFP the first priority was to revive cricket with India and money had not been a consideration.

India announced on Monday they will host Pakistan for a short series of three one-day internationals and two Twenty20s in December-January, ending a five-year deadlock sparked by the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008.

“Pakistan’s first priority was to revive ties with India and PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf was focused on that. We wanted to take a start and for that we were negotiating since October last year,” said Sarwar.

Tour revenues normally go to the host nation, but reports in Indian media suggested Pakistan wanted the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to split the money.

Television rights alone for an India-Pakistan series are estimated to be worth $25 million but the figure could be much higher given India’s vast TV audiences. “Such reports about the proposal of revenue sharing for India-Pakistan series have no relevance and do not express the views of the PCB. The revenue sharing thing never came under discussion,” Sarwar said.

In talks about reviving the matches last year, the then-PCB chairman Ijaz Butt demanded a 50-50 share of revenue, which India refused.

The BCCI said Tuesday they were hopeful of getting the necessary clearance for the series from New Delhi.

Although India and Pakistan have met in events like the World Cup and Asia Cup, their last bilateral series was in 2007, when the Pakistani team visited India.

Cricketing ties between the arch-rivals were suspended after the Mumbai attacks, blamed on Pakistan-based militant group.

Monitoring Desk

LAHORE: Captain Misbah-ul Haq Saturday said Pakistan’s future was secure with the emergence of promising young players despite losing the Test and one-day series on their tour of Sri Lanka.

Pakistan lost the five-match one-day series 3-1 and three-Tests 1-0 on the tour which ended on Thursday. They levelled a two-match Twenty20 series 1-1.

The Test defeat ended Pakistan’s unbeaten run of seven series since losing to England on the 2010 tour which was marred by spot-fixing allegations in the Lord’s Test.

That unbeaten streak also included a 3-0 whitewash of world number one Test team England earlier this year.

Misbah, who captained Pakistan since their defeat against England in 2010, deplored the defeats on the Sri Lanka tour.

“Defeats in the one-days and Tests are disappointing,” Misbah told reporters on the team’s return home Saturday. “We could have won the one-day series but our fielding let us down in the last two matches.”

Pakistan hired former Australian batsman Dav Whatmore as head coach and Englishman Julien Fountain as fielding coach earlier this year, but their fielding has still been a gray area.

“The Test defeat was also unfortunate. But the performance of young players like Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq and Junaid Khan assured Pakistan has a good future,” said Misbah.

“Our junior players did very well in the Tests. Ali, Shafiq and Junaid have done well in the series and with their performance we can say that our future is secure,” said Misbah.

“In difficult situations these players performed well for us. The way Adnan Akmal played (in Pallekele Test) with a fractured finger is a good sign. Junaid is a big plus.”

Ali scored two hundreds in the Tests, while Shafiq hit a match-saving century in the final Test at Pallekele which ended in a draw.

Sri Lanka won the first Test in Galle by 209 runs while the rain-hit second Test in Colombo also ended without a result.

Left-arm paceman Junaid took 14 wickets in the three Tests, including five-wickets hauls in the second and third Tests.

Twenty20 captain Mohammad Hafeez said team’s loss in the first T20 match was due to inexperience.

“We had a number of new players in the Twenty20 so the first match was lost because of inexperience but we came back well to win the second game,” said Hafeez.

PALLEKELE: Sri Lanka won their first Test series in three years after the final Test against Pakistan ended in a thrilling draw in Pallekele on Thursday.

The hosts made a brave bid to chase down a target of 270, reaching 132-2 by tea on the fifth day, before they were pegged back by a three-wicket burst from off-spinner Saeed Ajmal.

Dinesh Chandimal scored 65 and the prolific Kumar Sangakkara returned unbeaten on 74 as Sri Lanka made 195-4 before the game was called off with nine overs remaining at the Pallekele International Stadium.

The 1-0 scoreline — following a 209-run victory in the first Test in Galle — was Sri Lanka’s first Test series win since beating New Zealand 2-0 at home in 2009.

The rain-hit second Test in Colombo was drawn, while the entire second day’s play in Pallekele had been washed out.

Earlier, Asad Shafiq remained unbeaten on 100 as Pakistan declared their second innings at 380-8 half-an-hour before lunch to attempt a series-levelling win.

But the tourists were thwarted by a pitch that eased out under the hot sun and a determined effort by the home team’s batsmen in front of some 1,000 spectators.

Openers Tharanga Paranavitana and Chandimal gave Sri Lanka a bright start with a 44-run partnership by the 10th over.

Left-handed Paranavitana made 22 when he was caught at second slip by Younis Khan off Junaid Khan, one ball after being dropped by Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq at first slip.

Chandimal, a last-minute inclusion for the match after Tillakaratne Dilshan opted out due to health worries in his family, anchored the innings at the start.

The 22-year-old’s third half-century in four Tests contained fluent strokes on both sides of the wickets, including eight boundaries.

But Chandimal was dismissed in the last over before tea, snapped up low at mid-off by Shafiq off Ajmal, ending an 88-run stand for the second wicket with Sangakkara.

Skipper Mahela Jayawardene plodded for 44 balls to make 11 when he attempted to scoop Ajmal to the leg-side and only managed to give a catch to Mohammad Hafeez running back from short-leg.

Ajmal picked up his third wicket when he bowled Thilan Samaraweera for 10, with Sri Lanka still 92 runs away and 15.5 overs left in the match.

His dismissal forced Sri Lanka to play for a draw amid a late bowling revival by Pakistan.

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka defeated Pakistan by two wickets in the fifth and final one-day international in Colombo on Monday to clinch the series 3-1.

Sri Lanka achieved a 248-run target with two balls to spare in the day-night match, with Angelo Mathews (80 not out) and Dinesh Chandimal (54) scoring half-centuries for the hosts.

Imran Farhat (56) and Umar Akmal (55 not out) earlier scored half-centuries for Pakistan, while leg-spinner Jeevan Mendis and paceman Nuwan Kulasekara each bagged two wickets for Sri Lanka.

The third one-dayer was abandoned due to rain.

Brief scores:

Pakistan 247-7 in 50 overs; Sri Lanka 248-8 in 49.4 overs

KARACHI: Former Pakistan paceman Mohammad Asif will be released from a British prison early on Thursday (today) after completing half of his one-year sentence for spot-fixing, his lawyer said. The 29-year-old was jailed by a court in London in November last year after he was found guilty of conspiring to cheat and conspiring to accept corrupt payments over deliberate no-balls bowled during the Lord’s Test against England in August 2010. “Asif’s release is a matter of few hours and I look forward to meeting him and helping him in his legal fight to restore what was an otherwise brilliant reputation he once had,” the player’s lawyer Ravi Sukul told Geo television in London. Asif’s friend and coach Mohammad Haroon had previously said the fast bowler would be released on Saturday May 5.