Cricket-Pakistan delay Zimbabwe tour in anticipation of India series

KARACHI Oct 21 (Reuters) - The Pakistan Cricket Board has postponed a tour to Zimbabwe in December in anticipation of a bilateral one-day series against India.

A senior official of the board told Reuters that under the future tour programme of the International Cricket Council, Pakistan were due to visit Zimbabwe for a test and one-day series in December.

"But since it is too close to the series against India we have informed the Zimbabwe authorities the tour should be held sometime next year," the official said.

Pakistan have been invited by the Indian board to play three one-day internationals and two T20 matches in December.

Bilateral cricket between the nuclear-armed neighbours were snapped after the 2008 Mumbai attacks in which 166 people were killed. India blame Pakistan-based militants for the incident.

India and Pakistan have fought three wars in the past 65 years, and the already fragile relations were further strained when gunmen attacked two upmarket hotels, a busy railway terminal and a fashionable cafe in Mumbai.

The last series between the two sides was Pakistan's tour of India in 2007 although Pakistan travelled to India to play the 50-over World Cup semi-final in Mohali last year. (Editing by Pritha Sarkar)