Pakistan Cricket Team has no issues playing in India, says PCB chief
What’s the story?
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shaharyar Khan mentioned that Pakistan is all prepared to send their boys for a bilateral series in India and has no issues despite the potential security threats regardless of the disinclination of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) towards the two countries resuming their play of cricket.
“The PCB would be willing to even send the team to play in India but unfortunately the situation is that the BCCI is not even ready to play with us in their own country citing security threats," he said at a function at the Karachi Press Club.
"We would be willing to play in India despite security threats," he added.
In case you didn’t know
Prior to Shaharyar’s statement, the PCB had sent a notice of intent in quest of compensation for the India's refusal to honour the MOU signed between the two boards in 2014 to play six bilateral series between 2015 and 2023.
However, India and Pakistan haven’t played a complete bilateral series since the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008. Although, during the winter of 2012-13 Pakistan did come over to India to play a series in the limited overs format to break the shackles.
Details
The PCB chief said that the International Cricket Council (ICC) also looks forward to the two teams resuming their bilateral series as the series generates high revenues and holds a special place in international cricket.
"A series between Pakistan and India generates the most revenue, even the ICC accepts that," Shaharyar said while addressing the media.
He also added that the PCB would prepare themselves as scheduled for a series against India in December 2017 according to the MOU, except its India’s refusal that not only affects the revenues but also hurts PCB financially.
What’s next?
Shaharyar had announced before that Pakistan would not be touring Bangladesh for a series to be held in July and mentioned that the BCB had sent them the tentative itinerary.
He added that they will look into the matter and that Pakistan had toured Bangladesh twice or thrice in the recent past whereas have not reciprocated the same since 2008.
He said that the PCB had plans for Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan following their retirement after the third Test against West Indies currently being played in Dominica.
"I will be speaking to them when I go to Birmingham for the Champions Trophy and I will first ask them for their consent to the proposals we have for them," Shaharyar said.
Shaharyar also disregarded the claims made by the lawyer of the Pakistani batsmen Khalid Latif and Sharjeel Khan saying that PCB is applying pressure on them to make a deal.
Author’s Take
There are no common grounds between what PCB wants to do in response to BCCI’s actions in the recent past. The issue has to be sorted by both countries coming to a mutual understanding and BCCI’s willingness to resume play would play a big role in it.
However, we await the final decision considering the extra efforts put in by PCB to break the shackles and re-initiate the Indo-Pak ties.