Pakistan gives up on bilateral series WE ARE CLOSING THIS CHAPTER NOW, SHAHARYAR SAYS AFTER SILENCE FROM INDIAN SIDE

With the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) yet to come up with a definite response on the fate of the proposed bilateral series, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has finally decided to stop pursuing the matter.

PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan wrote to the BCCI on Thursday, asking the Indian board to come up with a decision on the series within the next two days. The PCB chief warned that if the series does not get the green light, Pakistan will boycott all their matches against India.

The BCCI, however, is yet to respond and the PCB has decided it will announce on Monday its decision regarding giving up on the series.

“Yes, we haven’t received a reply from the BCCI till Saturday evening, therefore, we are closing this chapter now. We will, however, make an announcement in this regard by Monday.”

“We made every possible effort to play India and even changed the venue from the UAE to Sri Lanka on BCCI’s request, but our efforts went in vain. We signed an MoU with the BCCI last year and were sincere in playing cricket with them,” Shaharyar Khan was quoted as saying by the Dawn newspaper on Sunday.

“Our failure to materialise the series disappointed millions of cricket fans all over the world, especially in India and Pakistan.”

Shaharyar warned that the PCB would raise the issue with the International Cricket Council (ICC) and at the bilateral level.

Difficult proposition

The PCB chief also said that it was difficult to make arrangements for the series at a short notice and Pakistan should not be held responsible for its cancellation.

The BCCI had consented to a limited overs series with Pakistan in Sri Lanka and had asked the Indian government for permission. But the Indian government is yet to give its consent.

The BCCI and the PCB signed an MoU last year under which the two countries agreed to play a total of six bilateral series between 2015 and 2023.

The first of those series was originally scheduled to be hosted by the PCB in the UAE this month. But BCCI president Shashank Manohar is against the idea of playing in the UAE.

India has not played a full bilateral Test series with Pakistan since after the terror attacks in Mumbai in 2008.