Pakistan fear damaging split from terror attacks

Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ijaz Butt on Saturday warned that the international game could suffer a damaging split as a consequence of terror attacks and security alerts.

In the wake of the attacks in Mumbai, which left 195 people dead, England are debating whether or not to play their scheduled two Tests against India in December having already agreed to the cancellation of two one-day internationals.

Pakistan have also regularly suffered from teams refusing to tour.

"If certain countries play separately with two sets of rules it will be a dangerous situation," Butt told the BBC World Service.

"It's a mutual thing. If they don't come we won't go. You cannot have separate pockets with England only playing Australia.

"We have to agree something. It has to be with all Test countries. You can't have four Test countries playing each other and the other four playing separately as well.

"To continue to not participate in cricket in this part of the world in India and Sri Lanka, then it will be very difficult."

India's Champions League Twenty20 tournament was also cancelled last week following events in Mumbai.

Pakistan have also had to deal with sides refusing to play there because of security threats with the Champions Trophy postponed there in September. Pakistan have not played a Test series since December 2007.

India is scheduled to tour Pakistan in January and February to play three Tests, five one-day internationals and a Twenty20 international, but the tour may not go ahead because of security concerns in the host country.