PCB not 'begging' BCCI for bilateral series: Shahryar Khan

Karachi [Pakistan], Dec. 1 (ANI): Stating that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is not "begging" the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for a bilateral series, chairman Shahryar Khan has said they are instead pushing the Indian counterpart to honour the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between the two countries signed in 2014. While the BCCI has repeatedly snubbed Pakistan's request for resumption of ties, the PCB wants the Anurag Thakur-led board to honour its commitment of six series between 2015-2023 under the MoU, which is subjected to clearance from the Government of India. "We are not begging them to play us," the Express Tribune quoted Shaharyar as saying after attending a meeting of the national standing committee for sports. "Please don't get that impression. But they [BCCI] signed a proper MOU with us to play six bilateral series between 2015 and 2023 and they didn't meet their commitment." "It is our right as a cricket nation to push them to honour the MOU. They immediately owe us at least two home series as the last full bilateral series was played in India in 2007. In the MOU, Pakistan was to host four series between 2015 and 2023," he added. The PCB chairman, who was recently elected as the chairman of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), further said they are consultations with their lawyers over the issue, and will bring the issue up in the next meeting of the ACC scheduled to take place in Colombo, Sri Lanka on December 17. "We have been consulting our lawyers on this issue of the MOU and we will be taking up this case of bilateral series at the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) meeting this month," he said. 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)