Board of Control for Cricket in India secretary Anurag Thakur said on Thursday that the central government still has to give the go-ahead for the proposed India-Pakistan cricket series. Thakur added that time was running out for the series to take place, as the Indian team is scheduled to depart for their Australia tour on January 5.

Thakur told PTI, "[The] media [was] hoping that [external affairs minister] Sushma Swaraj's visit [to Pakistan] will decide the fate of the cricket series. But when it comes to relations between countries, a lot is at stake and many things are taken into consideration before coming to a definite conclusion. Whenever the Indian government will take a decision on this, we will let you know."

The BCCI had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Pakistan Cricket Board in March this year to resume bilateral cricketing ties. According to the terms of the MoU, India were slated to play Pakistan at their adopted home base, the United Arab Emirates, in December. Following a series of flip-flops, Sri Lanka emerged as the venue to host the series, pending the two governments' approval. While the Pakistani government has given its go-ahead, the Indian government has been dragging its feet.