Why does India need permission to play in a neutral venue: PCB chief

The chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Najam Sethi, said on Monday that if reports that India needs the government’s permission to play Pakistan in a neutral venue are true then the BCCI should have put that in the contract. Here to attend a meeting of International Cricket Council (ICC), Sethi said the question of security should not apply to Pakistan hosting India at a neutral venue.

“There is no security issue if we play in a third country. We play other countries also in the UAE. But, apparently, the BCCI is having difficulty in ensuring that. They say they don’t have government permission. Our position is: why should you require government permission? We don’t take government permission. The ICC does not want interference from the government in affairs of cricket boards,” he said. “In any case, when you were signing the contract, if government permission was an issue, you should have put it in the contract.” The PCB is seeking $70m in compensation claiming that the BCCI has violated a memorandum of understanding signed in 2014 that slotted six bilateral series between 2015 and 2023. The matter is with the ICC’s Dispute Resolutions Committee.

PCB has submitted a preliminary report but BCCI hasn’t, Sethi said, adding that he expects a verdict by October-November. In the Future Tours Programme (FTP) being planned India and Pakistan aren’t scheduled to play each other in the next five years. Sethi said PCB’s accepting that would hinge on ICC decision. “If it is in our favour, they will have to change the FTP.” HTC