The Pakistan Cricket Board has “given up” on the resumption of ‘much-awaited’ bilateral series against India after being unable to receive a necessary reply from the BCCI.
The Pakistan Cricket Board has “given up” on the resumption of ‘much-awaited’ bilateral series against India after being unable to receive a necessary reply from the BCCI.
Confirming the news, PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan said that the board has decided to close the chapter and is likely to make the announcement about the same on Monday.
“Yes, we haven’t received a reply from the BCCI till Saturday evening, therefore, we are closing this chapter now. We will, however, make an announcement in this regard by Monday,” Shaharyar told the Dawn.
Shaharyar said the PCB had given maximum time to the BCCI for taking a decision but no positive intentions were received by the Indian authorities.
“We made every possible effort to play India and even changed the venue from the UAE to Sri Lanka on BCCI’s request but our efforts went in vain. We signed an MoU with the BCCI last year and were sincere in playing cricket with them,” he added.
“Our failure to materialise the series disappointed millions of cricket fans all over the world especially in India and Pakistan.”
Shaharyar stressed that the PCB should not be held responsible for the cancellation as it would be difficult for the board to make the necessary arrangements on a short notice.
According to a memorandum of understanding signed between the PCB and BCCI, both countries are scheduled to play six series between 2015 and 2023 after a clearance from the Indian Government.
Earlier, BCCI chief Shashank Manohar once again asked Shaharyar to wait for another three to four days for the final decision on Indo-Pak cricket series.
According to sources, the PCB chief approached BCCI for a final response over much talked series between the neighbors. Shahryar Khan said that Indian authorities also need permission from their government due to which they are delaying the series.
