India politicising cricket, alleges PCB chairman

Karachi [Pakistan], Dec.1 (ANI): Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shahryar Khan has blamed India for politicising cricket before insisting that they are not begging their hostile neighbours to play against them. While the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) repeatedly snubbed Pakistan's request for resumption of ties, PCB wants the Anurag Thakur-led board to honour its commitment of six series between 2015-2023 under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in 2014, which is subjected to the clearance from the Government of India. However, Shahryar, who was speaking at the Parliament House after a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Inter-provincial Coordination, remains adamant to raise the issue at the upcoming meeting of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). "Both India and Pakistan have to play bilateral cricket according to Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between them," the Dawn quoted Shahryar as saying. "Pakistan will plead its case at the upcoming meeting of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). We have consulted our lawyers to advise us on the issue. Though the ACC session is related to development, we will discuss the issue with India about the bilateral series on the sideline," he added. A meeting of the ACC is scheduled to take place in Colombo on December 17 which will be held under the chairmanship of Shahryar. It is expected that the PCB officials like board's chief executive Najam Sethi and Subhan Ahmed would be attending the meeting. Political tensions between two nuclear-armed neighbours have not allowed a Test series against each other since 2007. Although Pakistan had toured India in December 2012 for a short limited-over series, they failed to resume full ties cricket, including Tests.(ANI)