New Delhi, July 16 (IANS) Sub-continental cricketing ties, suspended in the wake of the 26/11 Mumbai attack, will resume after five years when Pakistan tours India in December-January for playing playing three One-dayers and two Twenty20 internationals.

The matches will be played in between England's November-January series in India when the tourists return home for 15 days for the Christmas break, according to an agreement between the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

Briefing the media after the meeting, BCCI spokesman Rajiv Shukla said New Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai are the venues for the ODIs and Bangalore and Ahmedabad will host the T20 matches.

The series will be played when England go back home for the Christmas break after playing four Tests and two T20 matches in November-December and before they return for the five-match one-day series in January.

The two countries last played in 2007-8 when Pakistan toured India. India were to play in Pakistan in 2009 but the tour was cancelled in the wake of the Mumbai terror attack in 2008.

"It was decided to resume cricketing ties with Pakistan by inviting the Pakistan cricket team for a short series in December 2012-January 2013. The modalities will be worked out shortly," said BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale in a statement released after the Board's working committee meeting here Monday.

Reacting to the BCCI's announcement, PCB chief Zaka Ashraf told the Pakistani media that it was a welcome step.

"I am glad this has come through," Ashraf said.

"Negotiations were on for quite sometime and both the boards worked hard to make it happen. It is certainly a good news even from the business point of view."

Ashraf said the first step towards resuming the tie was inviting Pakistan T20 Champions Sialkot Stallions for the Champions League.

"Stallions were invited. That was the first step. Now this is a further development. It is good that two rivals are back playing together," said the PCB chief