As the cricket ties between the two neighbours resumed on Tuesday night, the hockey officials on both sides of the border are also looking forward to emulate the same early next year. According to sources, Pakistan hockey team will break the ice by touring India in March, which will be reciprocated by their Indian counterparts in May.

Pakistan and India has not played a bilateral series since 2006. The details of the series will be discussed next week when Hockey India (HI) secretary-general Narinder Batra along with his wife will arrive in Lahore on 29th December. The two teams will play five matches in each leg of the bilateral series. After 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, the relations between the two neighbours got sour and subsequently sporting ties were also severed. But gradually the relations have been improving as the athletes have started crossing borders for different tournaments. And now with Pakistan cricket team's ongoing high-profile tour, it is expected that the sporting ties will be normalised.

Copyright Pakistan Press International, 2012