Focus on resumption of bilateral cricket ties with India: PCB – Cricket News Update
The Pakistan Cricket Board has maintained that the resumption of bilateral ties with http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 is among its top priorities, after which the participation of Pakistani players in the Indian Premier League and the Champions League Twenty20 will naturally follow.
“Frankly speaking, we have not spoken to the Indian cricket officials about our players not being invited to the Indian Premier League or the Champions League because our focus in recent times has remained on restoring bilateral ties first,” confirmed Subhan
Ahmed, the PCB’s chief operating officer.
Sporting ties between the two countries went into a complete deadlock following the November 2008 terrorist attacks in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mumbai-c820, as diplomatic relations between the two nations grew unusually strained. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) refused
to consider the possibility of a series with http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755, even ignoring the PCB’s offer to send their team to India.
A statement by PCB chairman last month revealed that Zaka http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ashraf-c46397 had given up on the prospect of any further talks with India, saying there was no point in attempting to convince them when they were simply not interested.
However, the recent statements suggest that the board is still considering the prospect.
“The way we see it, once India resumes bilateral cricket ties with Pakistan then everything will fall into place,” Ahmed said, adding that this included the issues about the participation of Pakistani players in the IPL and Champions League.
The last bilateral series between the two countries took place in 2007-2008, when the Men In Green toured India for 5 ODIs and a Test series – both of which the visiting team lost. Various Pakistani players also featured in the first season of the IPL –
however, following the terrorist attacks, the involved franchises were reluctant to pick them, and none of the Men In Green were made available in the auctions.
It is a similar story as far as the Champions League T20 is concerned – since it was initiated in 2009, Pakistan is the only prominent cricket-playing nation to have been absent from the qualifiers or the main round.
“… in the past we have spoken to the Indian board about this issue but didn't get any positive response. So we stopped talking about it because it does not seem right for us to be running after something that is their prerogative,” Ahmed said regarding the
IPL and the Champions League.
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