When we become optimistic, something happens: PCB
Oct 23, 2016 at 5:54 PM
After Uri attack, BCCI said that India will not be playing any match with Pakistan for the time being. The two nations have not played in a bilateral series since 2012-13. India and Pakistan were scheduled to play a series in December 2015, but even that didn’t see the light of the day as the governments of both the nations couldn’t come to a consensus.
PCB thinks whenever they become hopeful to play against India something happens then. A top Pakistan Cricket Board official said that it’s tragic. PCB have urged the ICC to set up a special fund for them till BCCI agrees to play in a bilateral series.
Najam Sethi, a former chairman of the board who now heads the PCB’s executive committee, admitted that at present relations between Pakistan and India is not well for cricket.
“We are hopeful that once the situation improves cricket can be played, but the tragedy is that whenever relations start to improve and we become optimistic about playing against them something happens,” Sethi said.
“We were offered loans but we said we were not asking for a loan or handouts. We want the ICC to set up a special fund for us until the Indian cricket board agrees to play bilateral cricket with us. They have not given us our due right to host bilateral series since 2007 and we have bled financially because of that,” Sethi said.
Sethi and chief operating officer Subhan Ahmad represented Pakistan at the recent ICC board meeting in Cape Town with the ICC later announcing it had been agreed to accept Pakistan’s proposal for a special fund to be given to them.
“We have told the ICC that if India starts playing against us in bilateral series and meets it bilateral commitments with us we can return the money of the special fund to the ICC,” Sethi said.