The feud between Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is finally coming to a close as PCB chairman proposed an ultimatum.
PCB Chairman Najam Sethi has said that BCCI should either let their team play against Pakistan or forfeit in case the teams are drawn against each other in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Test Championship.
This strong step from Pakistan’s board has sent shockwaves across the border as BCCI did not anticipate such a reaction after they refused to play series against Pakistan despite signing a contractual agreement.
Earlier today, there were reports which suggested that BCCI representatives met Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore to explore the possibility of resuming cricketing ties with Pakistan.
If the reports are credible and cricketing ties do resume, this will be a huge victory for PCB and the entire nation.
Najam Sethi met with Board of Governors (BoG) and in the six-hour long meeting, Sethi claimed that there has been no positive response from India.
He claimed:
I’ve not received any official information but to be honest, I don’t think India have a lot of choices.
Either they will play us or they will forfeit and we will get the points. I don’t think any team has a third option.
In the meeting, Sethi also explained the reason why the schedule of PSL’s third edition has been delayed.
The schedule was ready, but the delay took place because Dubai and Abu Dhabi want more matches in the third edition. Therefore, we had to withhold the schedule as our team is going to the UAE to discuss possible solutions.
Najam Sethi claimed that majority of the players are still willing to travel to Lahore, despite the hesitancy due to smog. He also mentioned that players do not particularly want to travel to Karachi in an ideal situation, which is why a second draft has been prepared.