ISLAMABAD (Staff Report) – Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shahryar Khan has made it clear that its team will not play a bilateral series in India as desired by the Board of Control for
Cricket in India (BCCI).
“There is no question of playing in India. I am still awaiting the reason of not playing in UAE,” Khan was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo on Monday.
A day after he said that BCCI president Shashank Manohar had offered to host Pakistan in December, Khan asserted that the series would only be possible if India play in the United Arab Emirates
(UAE).
BCCI Secretary Anurag Thakur had earlier pointed out that the Indian government would not give them permission to play Pakistan in the UAE.
Khan said Pakistan had already played two away series in India and he failed to understand why the Indian government would not allow the players to compete in the UAE when the first leg of the Indian
Premier League’s (IPL) 2014 edition was held there.
“We went there in 2007 and 2012. This time not again. It is our series and we will play at our home venue which is the UAE. What is the problem playing in UAE as they had also played their IPL there as well so why not Pakistan series?” the PCB chief asked.
According to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in 2014 between the two boards, Pakistan were meant to host India for a home series comprising two Tests, five One-Day Internationals (ODI)
and two Twenty20 Internationals.
