New Delhi/Colombo: Sri Lanka Sports Minister Gamini Lokuge told that his team will tour Pakistan in two phases - one in second half of January and another in late February, in order to accommodate an ODI series against India, most likely in first and second week of February.
Sri Lanka will first tour Pakistan for five ODIs and a Twenty20 international and then go back to Pakistan in late February to play three Tests.
Pakistan was kept waiting as Sri Lanka was also reportedly negotiating an ODI series with India after their tour of Bangladesh which ends on January 16.
The other problem was Pakistan was scheduled to tour Bangladesh for a five-match ODI series from March 3. But now SLC CEO Duleep Mendis has himself spoken to Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to postpone the tour by a few days to March 6.
India are planning a series against Sri Lanka to compensate for the aborted tour of Pakistan. Officials of both national boards have confirmed they are in talks over the tour, which will take place sometime over the next couple of months - most likely between Sri Lanka's current tour of Bangladesh and their trip to Pakistan, tentatively scheduled for the middle of February.