BCCI eyeing a series with Pakistan in UAE in 2019, according to reports

PCB has demanded $70 million in damages from BCCI for not playing bilateral series in 2014 and 2015.

Team India has qualified for the finals, while Pakistan will play Bangladesh for a spot in the finals | AFPThe killing of three policemen in Jammu & Kashmir and the release of postage stamps “glorifying” militant Burhan Wani has led to the diplomatic relations between India and Pakistan to nosedive further.

However, as per reports, BCCI is thinking of having a series with Pakistan in September of 2019 despite the atmosphere between the two nations bordering on hostile.

Speaking to Hindustan Times a senior BCCI official, said, “BCCI CEO Rahul Johri has been holding talks with PCB officials and he is expected to hold final talks with the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators – Vinod Rai and Diana Edulji -- before making the announcement. If he does get the go-ahead from the concerned people, the decision shall be made public around Wednesday.

Speaking to Hindustan Times, another senior official said, “This piece of news comes as a surprise to me and I am skeptical about it but if it is true I must say that those involved are traitors to the cause. They have been talking about political climate as the reason for not playing Pakistan all this while.

Do they realize that the External Affairs Ministry recently came out with a strong statement with regard to overtures from Pakistan? There appears to be more to it than meets the eye in this sudden planning and development,” the BCCI official said.

PCB is claiming $70 million as damages from BCCI for not honoring its MoU of playing bilateral series in November 2014 and December 2015 and has started the legal process against BCCI.

The hearing will take place in Dubai with Hon Michael Beloff QC chairing the Dispute Panel. The matter is expected to be heard between October 1 and 3. The ICC also made it clear that decision of the Dispute Panel shall be non-appealable.

PCB chief Ehsan Mani has said “I have already had a very constructive discussion with my colleagues from India who are here. We’ll have a lot of common ground going forward. We all understand whatever has happened in the past has happened; we have to move forward. At the end of the day, the game is bigger than any one person, it’s bigger than the politicians. It reaches out across global spectrum.

(inputs from hindustantimes.com)

 
 

By Jatin Sharma - 24 Sep, 2018

    Share Via