Abdullah719
T20I Captain
- Joined
- Apr 16, 2013
- Runs
- 44,825
On the sidelines of the Asian Cricket Council meeting on September 20, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials pushed for an India-Pakistan Test series in Dubai next year, The Indian Express has learnt. The BCCI’s reaction, however, is awaited.
None of the officials are willing to come on record as of now. PCB chairman Ehsan Mani, though, has said cricket and politics are two different things, as even during the Kargil war time India and Pakistan played cricket and the two boards didn’t stop the dialogue process. Mani also said, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s tweet, posted yesterday, shouldn’t be taken in isolation.
“I met the Indian board officials on the sidelines of the ACC meetings and we had a productive discussion,” Mani said here on Sunday, adding that the ICC has assured that India and Pakistan would play against each other during the second cycle of the upcoming World Test championship.
“The Test Championship is apparently in two cycles. For the 2019-21 cycle, they have already made their calendar. But I’m assured by the ICC that in the second cycle from 2021-2023, Pakistan and India are scheduled to play each other,” the PCB chairman said.
However, the India versus Pakistan bilateral series, which the PCB is proposing, will not be part of the Test Championship cycle.
About Imran’s tweet, he said: “As far as Imran Khan’s tweet is concerned, India had also given a statement, it was a reaction to that. Cricket boards have to work towards playing cricket, they shouldn’t get into politics, that’s what we’re talking with our Indian counterparts. There’s some bridge building to do, hopefully we will be able to make some ground because the relations haven’t been great.”
After the Indian government cancelled a meeting of foreign ministers of the two countries on the sidelines of United National General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, citing terrorism and the release of postage stamps glorifying Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani, Imran tweeted: “Disappointed at the arrogant & negative response by India to my call for resumption of the peace dialogue. However, all my life I have come across small men occupying big offices who do not have the vision to see the larger picture.”
Asked if the Pakistan Prime Minister’s statement would make it tougher for the PCB to convince the Indian cricket board for bilateral cricket, Mani said: “Imran Khan’s statement shouldn’t be looked at in isolation. India too made a personal statement against a few killings in Kashmir. So his response may have been because of that. When politicians talk, we shouldn’t get it into it. We should focus on matters concerning the cricket boards.
“When the Kargil incident happened, even then we didn’t stop dialogues. We knew cricket was tough, but every effort was made to renew bilateral ties. I strongly believe politics and politicians shouldn’t influence cricket. Politics has no role to play in cricket, if politics enters, then cricket will be used as a tool in politics. Imran Khan, like the previous governments of Pakistan, has always encouraged matches against India.”
The BCCI and the PCB will fight before the ICC dispute resolution panel from October 1 over bilateral cricket, as the Pakistan board has claimed a compensation of $70 million from its Indian counterpart for ‘dishonouring’ a MoU signed in 2014.
“There’s a process that has started and it’s in its last stages. All the processes have taken due course, the final statements are due from October 1-3 through the ICC arbitration panel. At this stage, it will be tough to comment. The process has gone further. I’ve always been with India, or any country for that matter. I used to treat all countries fairly during my time as ICC chairman. Any team or India, if they tried to put pressure, during my time I never gave any favours. It’s important to maintain that balance. I’ve said this earlier, had I been involved when the dispute happened, every effort would have been made to sort it bilaterally. Unfortunately, we are where we are. We have to still progress, but my doors are always open.”
https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/cricket/india-vs-pakistan-test-series-dubai-2019-5371001/
None of the officials are willing to come on record as of now. PCB chairman Ehsan Mani, though, has said cricket and politics are two different things, as even during the Kargil war time India and Pakistan played cricket and the two boards didn’t stop the dialogue process. Mani also said, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s tweet, posted yesterday, shouldn’t be taken in isolation.
“I met the Indian board officials on the sidelines of the ACC meetings and we had a productive discussion,” Mani said here on Sunday, adding that the ICC has assured that India and Pakistan would play against each other during the second cycle of the upcoming World Test championship.
“The Test Championship is apparently in two cycles. For the 2019-21 cycle, they have already made their calendar. But I’m assured by the ICC that in the second cycle from 2021-2023, Pakistan and India are scheduled to play each other,” the PCB chairman said.
However, the India versus Pakistan bilateral series, which the PCB is proposing, will not be part of the Test Championship cycle.
About Imran’s tweet, he said: “As far as Imran Khan’s tweet is concerned, India had also given a statement, it was a reaction to that. Cricket boards have to work towards playing cricket, they shouldn’t get into politics, that’s what we’re talking with our Indian counterparts. There’s some bridge building to do, hopefully we will be able to make some ground because the relations haven’t been great.”
After the Indian government cancelled a meeting of foreign ministers of the two countries on the sidelines of United National General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, citing terrorism and the release of postage stamps glorifying Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani, Imran tweeted: “Disappointed at the arrogant & negative response by India to my call for resumption of the peace dialogue. However, all my life I have come across small men occupying big offices who do not have the vision to see the larger picture.”
Asked if the Pakistan Prime Minister’s statement would make it tougher for the PCB to convince the Indian cricket board for bilateral cricket, Mani said: “Imran Khan’s statement shouldn’t be looked at in isolation. India too made a personal statement against a few killings in Kashmir. So his response may have been because of that. When politicians talk, we shouldn’t get it into it. We should focus on matters concerning the cricket boards.
“When the Kargil incident happened, even then we didn’t stop dialogues. We knew cricket was tough, but every effort was made to renew bilateral ties. I strongly believe politics and politicians shouldn’t influence cricket. Politics has no role to play in cricket, if politics enters, then cricket will be used as a tool in politics. Imran Khan, like the previous governments of Pakistan, has always encouraged matches against India.”
The BCCI and the PCB will fight before the ICC dispute resolution panel from October 1 over bilateral cricket, as the Pakistan board has claimed a compensation of $70 million from its Indian counterpart for ‘dishonouring’ a MoU signed in 2014.
“There’s a process that has started and it’s in its last stages. All the processes have taken due course, the final statements are due from October 1-3 through the ICC arbitration panel. At this stage, it will be tough to comment. The process has gone further. I’ve always been with India, or any country for that matter. I used to treat all countries fairly during my time as ICC chairman. Any team or India, if they tried to put pressure, during my time I never gave any favours. It’s important to maintain that balance. I’ve said this earlier, had I been involved when the dispute happened, every effort would have been made to sort it bilaterally. Unfortunately, we are where we are. We have to still progress, but my doors are always open.”
https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/cricket/india-vs-pakistan-test-series-dubai-2019-5371001/
