MUMBAI: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is exploring the possibility of playing a series against traditional rivals Pakistan at a neutral venue like Dubai or Sharjah in the near future.

The issue of scheduling a series against Pakistan was briefly discussed at the Emergent Working Committee meeting held in Chennai on Thursday.

`There is no window till 2015 to accommodate a full-fledged series but we can squeeze in a short series if a proposal from the PCB comesthrough,` Sanjay Patel, BCCI secretary, told Mirror on Friday.

He was categorical that India will be ready to travel to any place that Pakistan suggests, including the venues in the Middle East. For Pakistan, their off-shore home venue has been the United Arab Emirates where they have played matches in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah since 2009. South Africa and Sri Lanka have played Test series against Pakistan in the UAE recently.

`Yes, there was a discussion aboutpossibilities of playing against Pakistan at a neutral venue like Dubai, Sharjah or Abu Dhabi. But nothing has been finalised as of now. We are definitely looking at possibilities and are open to discussion with our PCB counterparts,` a senior BCC1 office-bearer told PTI on Friday.

As regards the FTP, India are not in a position to play a full series against Pakistan till 2015 but the BCCI is looking at the possibility that a short series being squeezed in somewhere.

`An Indo-Pak series would alsomean greater revenue for the PCB and also it would give us a chance to have their nod for our `Position Paper` which the BCCI is planning to table at the ICC Executive Board Meeting. Also Zaka Ashraf`s comeback in the PCB can be called a factor in this regard.

`Srinivasan shares a cordial relationship with Zaka, who is also a banker and noted industrialist in Pakistan, the BCCI official added.

The decision follows a teleconference between BCCI president N.

Srinivasan and Zaka Ashraf, therecently-restored chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

PCB`s current chairman Zaka Ashraf meanwhile welcomed the development.

`We welcome the BCCI decision. Tve had a discussion with Srinivasan and we knew that the BCCI would take such a decision,` Zaka said.

India have not played any Test series against Pakistan since 2007-08 home series because of strained relations but were engaged in a short limited-overs series involving three ODIs and twoT20 Internationals with matches being played at centres like Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai in 2012-13.

The meeting, meanwhile, also discussed at length authorising the officebearers to act according to the proposals on restructuring of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

The meeting welcomed the proposals pertaining to the distribution of the ICC revenue, the largest share of which should come the BCCI`s way.

-Agencies