The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has given an ultimatum to BCCI for confirming the bilateral series with Pakistan in Sri Lanka. After months, long negotiations both BCCI agreed to play the bilateral series with Pakistan in Sri Lanka, later this month.
PCB gave BCCI next Monday as the deadline, a well-placed source at PCB told Press Trust of India (PTI).
A highly placed source in PCB made it clear that if BCCI did not get the clearance from Indian governments inside Monday, the there would no more talk between two boards on the series.
“There is little time left to organise the series and if India does not respond by Monday this series is over,” the source told PTI.
Indian government unlikely to give clearance as it suffered criticism after BCCI confirmed series with Pakistan on the anniversary of deadly 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack.
He said the PCB was also not very optimistic about the Indian government giving clearance for the series. “They just feel that the time has almost run out for having the series in Sri Lanka even from around mid-December,” he said.
“There is a lot of logistics involved in hosting the series in a third country which also has a lot of tourism, especially with December being a Christmas and new year holiday season month,” he noted.
Another reason that concern PCB is a shortage of time. If BCCI gets the clearance then they have to work round the clock to get sponsors for the series, and Pakistan team will need some time to prepare for the series.
However, the source confirmed that Pakistan will not organise any T20 series if finally the India series did not materialize.
“It has now been decided that the series against India doesn’t take place then the selectors and team management will organise a national training camp over two to three weeks and carry out complete fitness tests of all players before the tour to New Zealand in late January,” he said.
The source further said that if India did not play the December series in Sri Lanka then PCB will consult with England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to organize some Indo-Pak matches in England next summer before the Pakistan and England series.