PCB not giving up on series with India

Board expected to keep dialogue going despite Indian minister ruling out bilateral ties

KARACHI: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is not giving up on a home bilateral series against India, despite Indian sports minister Vijay Goel’s categorical statement ruling out the possibility of one.

Senior officials of the PCB met with their Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) counterparts on Monday to discuss the series. And while nothing conclusive came out of it, the PCB is not willing to throw in the towel just yet.

“The PCB will continue to meet with the BCCI throughout the Champions Trophy and are hopeful that something positive can come out of these meetings,” said a source close to the matter.

While talking to The Express Tribune, PCB Executive Committee chairman Najam Sethi had said the board will take legal action against the BCCI if an agreement is not reached.

“We have discussed this with some of the leading legal minds around, both in Pakistan and abroad, and all of them agree we are in a position to take legal action against the BCCI if they do not play us in a series hosted by us,” Sethi had said, discussing the MoU signed by the two boards.

And the source confirmed that the PCB plans to do just that. “The case will be forwarded to the ICC Dispute Resolution Committee if the BCCI fail to comply with the MoU they signed,” it said. “We will be asking for compensation if it comes to that.”

The compensation demanded, Sethi had revealed, would be around $70 million.

The PCB, however, refused to comment on Goel’s statement.