Egypt are the most successful nation in African football history with seven AFCON titles.

The Pharaohs boast a string of high profile players who have made their mark in top leagues around the world, and while they have never made it out of the group stages of the World Cup, their influence on global football is growing all the time.

Mohamed Salah is set to lead them out in the United States, Canada and Mexico in 2026, but is he the greatest Egyptian player of all time?

10 Wael Gomaa

Known for his brute strength and perfect positioning, Wael Gomaa neutralised some of the best attackers in Africa without needing rapid pace or recovery tackles – he was an expert at reading the game.

His performances for Al Ahly were a major reason behind the club’s dominance during the 2000s, as he helped secure numerous Egyptian league titles and multiple CAF Champions League trophies.

On the international stage, Gomaa was a cornerstone of Egypt’s golden generation, playing a crucial role in the national team’s historic Africa Cup of Nations victories in 2006, 2008, and 2010.

His consistency over many years, making 114 appearances for the Pharaohs, sets him aside as one of Africa’s best ever defenders.

9 Mahmoud “Trezeguet” Hassan

Trezeguet has been one of Egypt’s most reliable performers in AFCON tournaments and World Cup matches, racking up nearly 100 caps for his country and scoring over 20 goals.

His goals at AFCON 2019, tireless running, and willingness to track back made him vital to Egypt’s balance. While not as globally famous as Salah, he has often been the perfect foil for the Liverpool legend, and has a respectable club career of his own.

Having starred in the Premier League for Aston Villa, the versatile forward has also won the Egyptian Premier League once and the CAF Champions League twice.

8 Mahmoud El Gohary

As a player, Mahmoud El Gohary contributed solidly despite not making as many appearances for his country as the other players on this list.

However, his international legacy is historic because of his overall influence on Egypt’s national team identity, with a managerial career spanning over 40 years.

He led Egypt to AFCON glory and qualification for the 1990 World Cup after 56 year absence from the world’s greatest competition, rebuilding belief in the national team.

Few individuals shaped Egypt’s international football structure and mentality more than El Gohary, who also won the nation’s top domestic league five times as a player and once as a manager.

7 Mohamed Elneny

Elneny’s importance is often underestimated, but his tactical discipline and leadership were crucial for Egypt during major tournaments. He played a key role in AFCON 2017 and 2021 and was part of the 2018 World Cup squad, providing stability in midfield.

Elneny rarely stole headlines, but Egypt often functioned better with him on the pitch, so it’s little wonder he earned over 100 caps.

He also boasts one of the most decorated club careers at the top level of any Egyptian player, winning the FA Cup with Arsenal and four Swiss league titles for FC Basel.

6 Mahmoud El Khatib

El Khatib’s international career came in an era with fewer global tournaments, but his impact remains significant having scored 24 times in 54 appearances for the Pharaohs.

He represented Egypt with distinction and brought wider African recognition to Egyptian football, being crowned African Footballer of the Year in 1983.

His club career was remarkable, winning the Egyptian league’s golden boot twice and helping Al Ahly to an incredible ten top flight titles.

5 Mohamed Aboutrika

Aboutrika was Egypt’s creative heart during one of its most successful international eras.

His intelligence, calmness and ability to score decisive goals made him indispensable in the 2006 and 2008 AFCON campaigns, and he went toe to toe with some of world football’s greatest stars on the international stage.

Scoring iconic goals – 38 in 100 caps to be precise – and linking midfield to attack effortlessly, Aboutrika’s skill and poise in the middle of the park is unmatched by any other Egyptian player in history.

4 Essam El-Hadary

Essam El-Hadary’s international importance cannot be overstated. He was the backbone of Egypt’s defense during their AFCON dominance and played a decisive role in multiple penalty shootouts.

Winning four AFCON titles and later becoming the oldest player in World Cup history, El-Hadary was the psychological leader of his national side for two decades, making a remarkable 159 appearances for his country.

His club career also yielded great success, as one of Al Ahly’s greatest ever players with countless domestic trophies to his name.

3 Ahmed Hassan

Ahmed Hassan’s case is built almost entirely on his national team legacy as opposed to club football.

He is Egypt’s most capped player and the emotional leader of the legendary squad that won three consecutive AFCON titles between 2006and 2010.

Subscribe for Deeper Takes on Egypt’s Football Legends Subscribing to the newsletter gives deeper analysis, player profiles and historical context on Egypt’s football greats—from Salah and Aboutrika to El‑Hadary—plus thoughtful coverage of related African and global football stories. Subscribe Subscribe for Deeper Takes on Egypt’s Football Legends Subscribing to the newsletter gives deeper analysis, player profiles and historical context on Egypt’s football greats—from Salah and Aboutrika to El‑Hadary—plus thoughtful coverage of related African and global football stories.

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He scored crucial goals, controlled midfield battles and set the tone physically and mentally.

Few players in African football history have dominated international tournaments the way Ahmed Hassan did over such a long period, managing a simply incredible 184 caps and scoring 33 times for his country.

2 Hossam Hassan

When it comes to pure national team impact, Hossam Hassan is one of one. He is Egypt’s all-time top scorer and one of the highest scorers in international football history, with 69 goals to his name for the Pharaohs.

He played across generations, adapting his game and remaining decisive well into his 30s, and at club level won a frankly ridiculous 14 league titles, 13 of which came in Egypt.

As a manager, he has guided the country to the 2026 World Cup, where he will hope to become the first Egyptian boss to guide his team out of the group stages.

1 Mohamed Salah

Even without an international title to his name, Mohamed Salah remains number one.

He is Egypt’s most important player of the modern era and carried the national team through multiple qualification campaigns almost on his own.

Salah led Egypt to the 2017 and 2021 AFCON finals and was decisive in getting Egypt to the 2018 World Cup, ending a 28-year absence.

While Egypt did not win a trophy during his peak, his goals, assists and insane trophy haul at the elite club level make him the undisputed greatest of all time, with more than 60 goals in over 100 caps.

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Posts ByBen Goodwin

Tottenham Hotspur wouldn’t have been feeling too festive after losing another home game against Liverpool before Christmas, and Thomas Frank knows improvements are needed heading into 2026.

Things have been said about the culture down N17 – or lack thereof. Spurs have recycled a fair few managers in recent years, and Frank’s assertion that he needs time to put things to rights is an understandable one.

But improvements are needed all the same, with 2025 a dire year in the Premier League for the north Londoners, picking up only 36 points from as many matches across the annual year, ten wins and 20 defeats.

This needs to change, and in order to do so, ENIC Group are looking to make some changes in the January transfer window.

The changes Spurs want to make in January

Tottenham need to recode their frontline heading into the New Year, with too many forwards flattering to deceive. Among them is Brennan Johnson, who looks likely to inch toward a loan transfer to Crystal Palace in January.

Johnson has fallen to the fringes this year. The Welshman is a potent forward, but his overall game leaves much to be desired, with FBref even recording that he ranks among the bottom 1% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues for shot-creating actions per 90 (1.63).

Spurs need more dynamism down the wings, and no one can say that the Lewis Family lack ambition as they set their sights on Juventus’ prized player.

According to Tutto Juve, Kenan Yildiz is attracting interest from London’s heavyweights: Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham. The 20-year-old is an elite talent, and though Juve are persistent in their bid to tie him down to a new deal, his £5m-per-year salary demands have opened the door for a switch to the Premier League.

The Old Lady aren’t going to let him caper off easily, though, and have already placed a staggering £88m price tag on his head.

Why Kenan Yildiz would be perfect for Spurs

Yildiz is young, but he is also immense. The silky, fleet-footed attacking midfielder has been declared a “generational” Turkish talent by journalist Cetin Cem Yilmaz.

He has scored five goals and supplied four assists in Serie A this season, running roughshod over the division’s defences as he blends power and precision with an ability to influence across different positions, dangerous centrally and out wide.

While Yildiz is more effective on the left flank, he is two-footed and versatile. So is Johnson, in fairness, though the Wales superstars lack even a portion of Yildiz’s all-encompassing talent, as can be seen through the wingers’ respective metrics this season.

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It is not accuracy in the final third that has been Tottenham’s fatal flaw this year, but creativity and player-to-player synergy. Yildiz’s arrival would only lift them to the next level, and every stop must be pulled in the bid to sign him.

League Stats 25/26 – Semenyo vs Yildiz

Stats (* per game)

Johnson

Yildiz

Matches (starts)

15 (6)

15 (14)

Goals

2

5

Assists

0

4

Touches

16.5

53.3

Shots (on target)*

0.4 (0.1)

2.4 (1.0)

Accurate passes*

6.5 (71%)

27.2 (82%)

Chances created*

0.4

2.3

Succ. dribbles*

0.2

1.3

Ball recoveries*

0.9

3.7

Tackles + interceptions*

1.0

0.8

Duels won*

1.6

4.1

Data via Sofascore

Given that Mohammed Kudus has made the right channel his own, Yildiz could do the same on the left, bringing his pace and natural flair in the danger area.

He hasn’t stepped into the Premier League, often difficult for up-and-comers from overseas, but Yildiz wins many duels and has a physicality which underpins his technical skill. He would be a success in Johnson’s stead.

Tottenham will only go so far under Frank’s wing without effective, calculated transfer assistance. Director Johan Lange no doubt has a sprawling list of attacking midfielders to strengthen the squad, but Yildiz might just be the cream of the crop, certainly an upgrade on soon-to-depart Johnson.

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According to reports in The Sun, Manchester City are ready to sell former Everton defender John Stones, who earns £100,000-a-week according to the article, at the end of the season, and Toffees fans want their club to re-sign the England international this summer.

The 23-year-old joined the Citizens in a £47.5m deal in 2016 and while he looked to have a bright future under Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium at one stage, he has slipped to fourth in the centre-back pecking order in recent months.

Meanwhile, their Premier League rivals from Merseyside are likely to prioritise strengthening their central defensive options this summer with Ashley Williams failing to impress and Phil Jagielka getting no younger, and the Goodison Park faithful would seemingly love to see Stones return.

Everton supporters, who praised Morgan Schneiderlin on Twitter for his display against Newcastle United on Monday night, were quick to have their say on the exit rumour via social media, and while one said “I would 100% take John Stones back at Everton tomorrow”, another said they would “have him back in a heartbeat”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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An unbroken 56 run ninth wicket stand between Vijay Prajapati andRajiv Dutta lifted Tripura to 213/8 on the first day of their EastZone Ranji Trophy clash with Bihar at the Keenan Stadium inJamshedpur. Play was called off five overs before the scheduled closebecause of bad light.Bihar won the toss, put the visitors in and quickly took control,Dheeraj Kumar bowling Pranab Debnath with the fourth ball of the day.The wickets which fell regularly were shared among five bowlers. Thestoutest resistance was provided by Mridule Gupta who swiftly moved to61 (84 balls, 9 fours) before having his stumps rattled by seamerMihir Diwakar. The end of the innings appeared near when the eighthwicket fell in the 58th over but Prajapati (37) and Dutta (23) heldout for the last hour and a half.

	The umpires have a word with Harbhajan Singh following his mid-pitch interaction with Andrew Symonds © Getty Images

Mike Procter, the match referee, has delayed Harbhajan Singh’s code-of-conduct hearing, originally scheduled for Saturday, until after the conclusion of the ongoing Test in Sydney on Sunday. Harbhajan was charged with a level-three offence under the ICC Code of Conduct following his on-field altercation with Andrew Symonds on day three of the second Test.”At the request of the India team manager and under the circumstances I have exercised my discretionary powers to postpone the code-of-conduct hearing until the conclusion of this Test match,” Procter said. “I am satisfied that with a further 24 hours India will have time to sufficiently prepare for this hearing.”The possibility of lawyers getting involved cannot be ruled out. The charge was laid by match umpires Mark Benson and Steve Bucknor after the close of play after they received a complaint from the Australia captain Ricky Ponting.”They reported to me that there was a breach of conduct, reported to them by Ponting,” Procter said while talking to . “It’s a level three, which is pretty serious. The umpires didn’t hear anything, they didn’t know anything about it. I’m the adjudicator at the hearing, there will be witnesses called. The end result is what I want to achieve. To answer your question, yes lawyers could be involved.”The incident occurred while Harbhajan was batting and Matthew Hayden walked past Harbhajan after his confrontation with Symonds but did not reveal any details of the accusations or the conversation. “We believe we have a very strong case,” Hayden said at the close of the fourth day.”It’s a scenario none of us want to be in, we love the game and we hope we can move forward. Andrew’s a very strong character who had a great, tough upbringing in Charters Towers [in north Queensland] and we all love him and Australia love him.”Meanwhile, the ICC have asked British barrister Nigel Peters QC to advise Procter during the hearing. Talking to PTI, an ICC spokesperson said that Peters, who is also an elected committee member of the Marylebone Cricket Club, had assisted them in the past.If found guilty, Harbhajan could face a ban of between two and four Tests or four and eight one-day internationals. The hearing will take place after the conclusion of play on Sunday.

The ICC has announced a seven-man local advisory panel in the USA whose aim is to form a meaningful strategy for the future promotion and development of cricket in the country. The announcement comes in the wake of the USA Cricket Association’s Associate membership being suspended at the ICC Annual Conference in June.At the time of the suspension, ICC chief executive David Richardson stated that cricket in the country was “fragmented” and that the only way for the sport to move forward was for the warring factions, most notably USACA and the American Cricket Federation, to come together. In a sign of that potentially becoming a reality, ACF chairman Jagan Jagannathan and USACA liaison Dr Vincent Adams were two of the seven people who have been added to the advisory panel, which will be under the direction of ICC head of global development Tim Anderson.Former ACF chief executive Jamie Harrison remained staunchly against any reunification of the ACF and USACA. Most of the ACF’s member leagues are formerly USACA members who split away in the fallout of the controversial 2012 USACA general election, when two thirds of member leagues were barred from voting. Jagannathan’s presence on the advisory panel is an indication that the ACF’s hardline stance has softened since Harrison’s resignation in May.Adams was a former member of the ACF’s advisory board until he decided to run for president against Gladstone Dainty in the USACA general elections, which took place in March. After losing to Dainty, Adams was appointed to a USACA liaison committee whose aim was to rectify issues raised by the ICC at the June 2014 ICC Annual Conference in hopes of avoiding suspension.Two other members of the panel, former USACA board member Brian Walters and USA Rugby CEO Nigel Melville, were both part of USACA’s governance review committee established in February 2013. That committee was formed in conjunction with TSE Consulting’s governance reform recommendations for a new USACA constitution – one which would have set term limits for the current board and cut its power by 50% – that was ultimately never passed. Walters resigned from the USACA board in March 2014 over frustration from lack of progress in governance reforms, a week after the resignation of former chief executive Darren Beazley.The TSE report also recommended athlete representation on a USACA board under a new constitution. The ICC announced that its own USA advisory panel included Usman Shuja, who recently retired as USA’s all-time leading wicket-taker in 50-over cricket in a national team career stretching from 2006 to 2014. Shuja, 36, has an MBA from Northwestern University’s prestigious Kellogg School of Management and is now working as a vice president of sales and business development for Texas-based startup company SparkCognition.The other two names on the advisory panel are Jim Isch, formerly of the NCAA, and Patrick Sandusky, chief communications and public affairs officer of the US Olympic Committee.Isch worked for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) from 1998 through 2015, the last five years as the NCAA’s chief operating officer before retiring early this year. He also served as interim president after the death of Myles Brand in September 2009 until current president Mark Emmert took over in October 2010. According to sources, the ICC initially came into contact with Isch in October 2013 during former ICC president Alan Isaac’s trip to Indianapolis to evaluate the progress of the Indianapolis World Sports Park complex.The NCAA is headquartered in Indianapolis and it is understood that the ICC views the city’s multi-sport base – the NFL’s Colts, NBA’s Pacers, minor league baseball and soccer franchises also call the city home – as an attractive launching pad for professional administration and development of cricket in the country. It’s one reason why the upcoming ICC Americas Cricket Combine was designated for Indianapolis instead of other potential venues and a sign that USACA’s headquarters might be shifted there from a currently rented office space in Lake Worth, Florida.

ScorecardNasir Hossain’s five-for included the wickets of Suresh Raina and Unmukt Chand•PTI

A sparkling all-round performance from Nasir Hossain led Bangladesh A to a 65-run win against India A in the second one-dayer, helping them level the series 1-1. Coming in at 82 for 5 in the 19th over, Nasir pulled Bangladesh A out of troubled waters with an unbeaten hundred, his third in List A matches, to lead them to a competitive 252 for 8 and then took five wickets, including those of Unmukt Chand and Suresh Raina, to make the win comfortable in the end.The India A chase looked on course when they were 119 for 1 in the 28th over, with Chand on 56, and even when Raina smacked Rubel Hossain for a six three overs later with the hosts needing 116 runs from 19 overs. But Nasir had Chand caught behind down the leg side, and had Raina and Karun Nair stumped within four balls to leave India A struggling at 146 for 5.Bangladesh A captain Mominul Haque brought Rubel back into the attack immediately from the other end, and the bowler did the needful by removing Sanju Samson for a golden duck and Karn Sharma for 2. Nasir then knocked over Rishi Dhawan’s off stump, also for a duck, thwarting India’s chance of a win.

India A captain Unmukt Chand on…

Squandering the start after Bangladesh A were 82 for 5
“We could not capitalise on the early wickets between the 20th and the 40th overs, we probably could have had more intensity on the ground.”
If complacency crept in while batting
“If there was any scope of complacency, it was in this match and we were a bit complacent, to be honest. We’ll probably come back stronger in the next match.”
Reasons for losing the match
“On wickets like these, it is important to hang in in there. It’s just a matter of staying there and letting the partnership flourish. I got out, then Manish got out, then all of us got out in quick succession. We didn’t have partnerships and that was the reason we lost this match.”
If 253 was chaseable
“Of course it was achievable on this wicket and with this outfield. In the last match also we saw runs are possible here and we were 120 for 1. But there were soft dismissals and this shows you what cricket is all about.”

Mayank Agarwal had given the chase an attacking start with three fours within the first four overs but fell to Rubel’s pace while going for a drive, for 24. Chand then took charge, alongside a circumspect Manish Pandey, and hit three fours in the ninth over off Shafiul Islam to push the run rate towards five. He was dropped on 21 by Liton Das off Rubel, and cashed in to cross 50 and take his team past 100. With things not going Bangladesh A’s way, Mominul used seven bowlers by the 27th over in a bid to break a partnership that grew to 88.It worked when Chand edged one off Nasir and Pandey made room against Rubel three overs later only to find his middle stump scattered. Rubel and Nasir combined to take six wickets for 20 runs and Gurkeerat Singh was the only batsman to hang on, scoring a 30-ball 34, before he ran out of partners.Earlier, put in to bat, Bangladesh A were thrown off track by double blows from Dhawan and legspinner Karn after they lost Rony Talukdar early. Soumya Sarkar and Anamul Haque had just started to push the throttle after a watchful and edgy fifty-run stand for the second wicket when Dhawan struck. Sarkar, who had been dropped twice, dragged one onto his stumps for 24 and Dhawan got Mominul’s edge in his next over. Three overs later Karn took a return catch off Anamul for 34 and struck Sabbir Rahman’s middle stump, after the batsman stepped out and missed, to leave the side at 82 for 5.The innings was resurrected by two crucial stands – the sixth-wicket partnership between Liton and Nasir for 70 runs, and seventh-wicket one between Nasir and Arafat Sunny for 50. Liton led the first partnership, collecting four fours between the 18th and 21st overs, and the two batsmen had just settled down when Dhawan came back for his second spell and Liton pulled him straight to the deep square leg fielder for 45.It was a Nasir Hossain show from there. The pitch seemed better for batting and he farmed the strike in the company of Sunny, Shafiul and Rubel. Soon after he brought up his fifty with a sweep in the 37th over, he smashed Karn over long-off like a confident top-order batsman for six. After Sunny and Shafiul fell within 16 balls, Nasir provided a strong finish by smacking Raina for three fours in an over – a slog sweep and two cover drives – to race from 76 to 88. With three overs still to go, he reached the three-figure mark off 94 balls and took his team single-handedly past 250, collecting 41 runs in the last five overs with the tail-enders

A side strain to offspinner R Ashwin has forced India to call up Harbhajan Singh as back-up for the second and third ODIs against South Africa. It is not yet clear for how long Ashwin would be out with a BCCI release saying, “After making a detailed assessment of the injury, the BCCI medical team will confirm the time frame required for Ashwin to fully recovery from the injury.” Harbhajan will join the team in Indore, the venue for the second ODI on October 14.The problem occurred in Ashwin’s fourth over, when he dived to his right to stop a drive down the ground. He got up, showing signs of pain, but went on to bowl a couple of more deliveries before talking to India captain MS Dhoni and walking off the field.However, with AB de Villiers taking control of the game, Ashwin tested himself on the sidelines and after a word with the support staff, came back on the field in the 38th over. He was not allowed to bowl immediately though because, even though he had hurt himself while playing, it wasn’t an external injury so he had to wait until 11.55am to bowl again. After bowling one more over, however, he walked off the field again.In addition to Harbhajan, India do have legspinner Amit Mishra and left-arm spinner Axar Patel as slow-bowling options for the next two ODIs. The squad for the final two games is yet to be announced.

ScorecardDavid Warner was playing after over seven weeks•Getty Images

Tactical declarations and new-ball bowling under lights will be prevalent during the Adelaide day/night Test if a seesaw day one of the Sheffield Shield match between New South Wales and South Australia is anything to go by.The Redbacks’ top order was destroyed by likely Test bowlers Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood after the NSW and Australia captain Steve Smith closed the Blues’ faltering first innings shortly before the scheduled close.Starc and Hazlewood had the new pink ball bending around corners on a muggy evening, accounting for Kelvin Smith, Callum Ferguson and Mark Cosgrove within the first three overs.The Blues had squandered a strong start after Smith chose to bat in natural light, watched by a small crowd notable for its many key broadcasting and cricket operations observers testing out Adelaide ahead of next month’s historic five-day fixture.After Ed Cowan squandered a start, Smith and the fit-again David Warner combined for the sort of stand they may need to make a habit of to keep a young Australian side afloat this summer. Warner managed the pain of a still healing thumb well enough in his 77, while Smith mixed watchful defence with the odd fidgety flourish.SA’s pacemen gave way to spin and medium-pace as the pink ball grew soft, and the Warner-Smith stand was broken by the spin of SA captain Travis Head, who claimed the wickets of both senior men plus Nic Maddinson in an impish display.Joe Mennie followed up sturdily, as the NSW middle order struggled to find any momentum against tight bowling and ring fields. Ultimately Smith preferred to declare before stumps rather than letting a meandering innings play out, a decision that would be richly rewarded.Twelve wickets and 265 runs illustrated that the day/night format will be a test of patience but also a game of fortune, as the new ball at night is likely to be the 21st century equivalent of being caught batting on an uncovered wicket.

The prospects of a bilateral series between India and Pakistan seem to have moved a step forward on Saturday with India offering a series at home later this year. However, Pakistan’s initial response to the offer – pending high-level consultations – has been to reiterate that, according to the Future Tours Programme (FTP), they are to host the series in the UAE. This, and security issues on both sides, leaves the actual prospects of bilateral cricket still far from confirmed.”At about five in the afternoon yesterday, I was giving a lecture at Lahore Universty of Management and Science (LUMS) when [BCCI president] Shashank Manohar called me,” PCB chief Shaharyar Khan said on Saturday. “He told me that the Indo-Pak cricketing ties should resume and the BCCI has got the permission from the Indian government. He said Pakistan should travel to India to play the series.”According to the ICC’s FTP India were meant to travel to the UAE to play Pakistan pending the federal government’s permission. After the BCCI’s AGM in Mumbai on Monday, Manohar had said that the board would be approaching the Indian government as soon as it was possible. Manohar told PTI the board had not yet met with the government. “We have not yet approached the government. But yes, I have talked to him [Khan] over phone and we may talk again in the next couple of days.”BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur confirmed the development, but said that the only way possible for the cricketing ties to resume was if Pakistan travelled to play the series in India, and the board would go ahead and meet with the government only if Pakistan agreed to play the series in India.”We can only start talking if they agree to play in India,” Thakur told ESPNcricinfo. “It was not possible to play in Pakistan and a neutral venue as the Indian government would not give the permission. To keep the India-Pakistan series alive the BCCI has made an effort and spoken to the PCB [to see] if they are keen to play in India. Then we can take matters forward, and we can talk and discuss with the [Indian] government and further work out the details of the series.”According to Khan, the telephone line was not clear and the surrounding noise at LUMS did not help either. “I only understood slowly, after a lot of disturbance, about his offer to play in India. The Memorandum of Understanding signed between both countries [last year] had stated that both countries would play in the UAE.”Manohar told Khan that the security of the Pakistan team would be taken care of by the BCCI. “Secondly, he said we would play the matches at places where there is no danger, like in Mohali and Kolkata,” Khan said.”Thirdly, he said that the Indian board would make some arrangements so that the loss of revenues emanating from not playing the home series can be taken care of.”According to Khan, he responded to Manohar by simply reminding him that India must play Pakistan in the UAE according to the MoU. “I told him that we had signed the agreement to play in the UAE and we want to stick to that. Secondly, we would suffer massive losses, considering hosting even one series would amount to $50 million. And we are talking about the MoU, which was signed for six series. I told him I am not saying we are coming to India to play the series, but what is it that you are thinking of to offset such a big loss?”Khan also expressed scepticism about playing in India as, despite Manohar’s assurances on security, he was still concerned about the opposition expressed by certain political organisations like the Shiv Sena to Pakistan playing in India. Last month Khan and his PCB team had to return home disappointed after their scheduled meeting with Manohar in Mumbai had to be put off after Shiv Sena activists barged into the BCCI headquarters saying they would not allow the talks to take place.”You are saying we should come to India, but whenever any Pakistani goes there Shiv Sena and others oppose that,” Khan said. “That creates a security problem for us. Why are you then saying we should come to India? You should come to a place [the UAE] where there is no problem of security.”Khan said that it was not the right time at the moment to play in India, given recent incidents involving eminent personalities from Pakistan: legendary artiste Ghulam Ali decided to opt out of a concert in Delhi and said he would only perform in India when the political environment was appropriate, while in October the Shiv Sena opposed the book release of former Pakistan foreign minister Khurshid Kasuri.Given the connectivity issues during the call, though, it was decided that Manohar would send a detailed offer over e-mail/letter/fax, which would help the PCB make a decision. “We are just waiting for a clarification as to what exactly they are offering,” Khan said.While Khan said that Manohar’s formal offer would arrive in “one or two days”, he maintained BCCI’s move was not correct. “In my opinion it is not appropriate for PCB [to play in India]. You have signed it [the MoU] and we have finished [finalizing] our broadcasting rights.”Khan also pointed out that he could not take any unilateral decision on the matter. He said he would present the details of the offer to the PCB board of governors next Tuesday and seek their opinions. “Importantly, I need to speak to the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to take his permission, and only after that I will respond to them.”The Pakistan series holds a lot of importance for the BCCI. Two years ago, the BCCI, under N Srinivasan, had recognised the importance of and need for a well-defined home season. That became an integral part of the ICC revamp, designed by the Big Three of India, England and Australia; the revamp ensured the bigger teams would visit India for marquee series during their winter, thus establishing their own home season, like Australia, England and South Africa already have in place.The BCCI’s attitude towards playing Pakistan as scheduled has so far been lukewarm, but now the Indian board wants to make the series happen given once the final Test of the South Africa series ends on December 7, India have month-long window without any international cricket. Their next assignment is a limited-overs tour of Australia, comprising five ODIs and two T20Is between January 12 and 31, 2016.